Stand
by Yara Meijer
Summary: Raimon, the best soccer team in Japan. And then they lost. Utterly and completely destroyed by a new school, Kanashimi. They lost their Mixi-Max and Keshin, and they quit soccer. But when Kanashimi's dark secrets are unraveled, the Raimon Eleven must reunite once again - but what will happen when Raimon's captain becomes Kanashimi's new target? Will Raimon pull through or... not?
1. Prologue

**Hey there, I'm back with a new story.**

 **Yes, yes I know I should finish Living Shadow first, but I suddenly got this idea and I just _had_ to publish the prologue. I'm not even sure if I'll continue this.**

 **Anyway, I don't own, and enjoy the story for now!**

* * *

Raimon Junior High, famous for its soccer team. Ten years ago, the legend started, created by Endou Mamoru and his friends, and a few months ago, the legend continued. The Raimon Eleven won the Holy Road Championship, thus becoming the strongest soccer club in Japan. After that, they traveled through time to save the soccer that they love. And then, four players joined the Earth Eleven, to represent the Earth in the Grand Celesta Galaxy. Even later, they became the Galaxy Eleven - the best soccer team in the universe.

Great things, indeed. But it wasn't meant to last.

You know what they say. The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Well, this is certainly true in Raimon's case. Because they fell. And they fell _hard_.

Because now, not even a year after they won the Championship and became the best team in Japan, it was taken from them. A new school, a new team, challenged the Raimon Eleven. Kanashimi Junior High, an unknown school, challenged them and _won_. Winning against Raimon is a very hard task, but they did.

But Kanashimi Eleven didn't just win. Oh no, if it was that easy, this story would be over very soon. No, they didn't win against Raimon...

They utterly and completely _destroyed_ them.

The end score?

.

.

.

0 - 136.

After the match, the players of the Raimon Eleven were lost - the things that were said and done on the field broke their bonds. They started fighting among each other, and they lost their love for soccer. So they quit.

Yes, Kanashimi Eleven destroyed them. Not just their soccer team, their plays, but everything they ever believed in as a team. Raimon started to fight among themselves, and stopped talking to each other. They lost their fans and supporters. Because all the players quit, the soccer club was shut down. The ex-players changed - their defeat left them colder. They turned away from soccer. And their friends from other schools? They could only watch from the sidelines, powerless, unable to help the team that helped them, saved them, gave them back the most important thing in their lives - soccer.

While Raimon went their separate ways, Kanashimi Eleven became the number one school in Japan. They were undefeated - not a single goal was scored against them. Their defeated opponents were left in awe. They were nicknamed the Sorrowful Demons, because when they played, they looked so sad, so sorrowful. But they were also cold. Cold and ruthless. They were Demons.

Meanwhile, the ex-Raimon Eleven became invisible. No one knew what happened to them, only their closest friends. And something happened. Immediately after their loss against Kanashimi, they found out about the strange… side-effects of their match against Kanashimi.

They lost their Mixi-Max and their Keshin.

No one knew why. Not their friends, not the players, not their coach, not the original Raimon Eleven, who defeated Zeus Junior High, Genesis, Little Giant - though they did their research. They didn't find any answers. The ex-Raimon weren't really… happy about it. They just wanted to be left alone, to forget their failure, to forget what they once were.

They wanted to forget about being the Raimon Eleven.

But after all their adventures, their victories and their losses, shouldn't they know?

No matter how deep you want to bury your memories…

 **The past will always come back to haunt you.**

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Please let me know in the reviews if you want me to continue this story!**

 **\- Yara Meijer**


	2. Found Something

**Hey there, I'm back with a new chapter! I couldn't help it~!**

 **Disclaimer: don't own**

 **Thanks,** _ **Lotus Sword**_ **and** _ **AmyGolden1104**_ **, for reviewing!**

 _ **Lotus Sword**_ **: Hahaha, thanks. I actually hadn't thought about the fourty second thing. It will become clearer in the near future, but you'll just have to imagine that Kanashimi scored point after point, especially in the second half. For Raimon's Keshin, I have a few ideas, but I'm not gonna tell you~! Where would be the fun in that? But yeah, Kanashimi has something to do with it.**

 _ **AmyGolden1104**_ **: I am planning to continue this, because I really like this idea, so yeah, you could expect new chapters in the near future. And, just like I told** _ **Lotus Sword**_ **, you will have to wait and see~! But I can tell you, Kanashimi is indeed a pretty strange team, and they have a lot of secrets (I'm not even sure about that myself, but I do have some ideas). And, about the score: Kanashimi is indeed a school with many secrets. Everything will become clear in the future (I hope).**

 **And that's for the reviews. Now, please enjoy~!**

* * *

A light breeze comes through the window, and a boy with brownish-orange eyes stares longingly out the window. The sound of chirping birds and the smell of sakura trees fill the room. The sun lights up the white walls, and warms the occupants. It's the perfect image of peace and quiet.

The blue-haired male sighs and looks at the boy sitting in the chair beside his bed. His eyes are closed, and his head is turned towards the window while he breathes quietly.

The older male smiles sadly at the sleeping form of his younger brother, and looks at his face. His skin is pale, paler than normal. He has bags under his eyes, and sadness shows on his face, even in his sleep. He looks very young, when he sleeps peacefully like this, the only moment he can escape from his memories.

Yuuichi sighs again and keeps staring at his brother's face. ''Kyousuke…'' he mumbles quietly, as to not wake the younger boy.

Yuuichi closes his eyes, and a few minutes pass.

''Ugh…'' comes a quiet sign of life from the boy beside him. The older opens his eyes to look at the younger. Kyousuke stretches and looks at his brother questionly. ''Did I fall asleep?'' A nod is his answer. ''I was supposed to come with you for your check up, and here I am, falling asleep,'' murmurs the blue-haired boy.

His brother smiles lightly and shakes his head. ''I don't mind. You looked very tired, and I like watching you sleep. You always look so peaceful…''

Kyousuke frowns. ''Nii-san, I don't want to talk about this. It's in the past, okay? I quit, no, we all quit, and I don't talk to them anymore. Let it go. Please…''

Yuuichi meets his stare head on. ''You're only hurting yourself, Kyousuke. All of you. You all love soccer so much, and yet-''

His brother interrups him. ''You didn't _see_ them, you didn't _hear_ them! Don't act like you understand, nii-san! Kanashimi… the players… they're not normal! I looked into their eyes and all I saw was ice. Their eyes… those eyes… they'll haunt me forever. They were filled with despair, hate, _sorrow_ … they _destroyed_ us, nii-san! They took away our Keshin! And if you… and if you saw the others – I'll never forget what my teammates looked like back then, nii-san. Those Kanashimi bastards, they- they _wanted_ to use their power to destroy others. They… their eyes… it looked like they wanted to _kill us_.''

Yuuichi stares at his younger brother in shock. He looks so… _broken_. He gave up the most important things in his life because of _them_. ''Kyousuke…''

Said boy stands up, and shakes his head. ''I'm sorry, nii-san, but I… I just need to get some fresh air.''

Yuuichi watches in shock as the blue-haired male turned around and left the room. _Kyousuke…_

* * *

A wavy, greyish brown haired boy sits on a bench besides the river, looking at the water. The silence that surrounds the place is heavy, like a thick blanket, hiding the boy from the rest of the world. Sad, brown eyes turn to look at the cloudy sky. The look in those eyes is one of hopelessness, as the owner sits in deep thought on the bench.

He sighs and closes his eyes, leaning backwards, relaxing his stiff body. He sits there quietly, memories flooding his mind.

 _Cold, cold eyes…_

… _Screams of despair and pain…_

 _A whispering-_

The sound of soft footsteps breaks the thick silence, and the boy's eyes snap open. They turn to look at the blue-haired boy, standing a few feet from the bench. His orange eyes are cold, surprised, and filled with pain. ''What are you doing here?'' the boy asks.

Shindou studies Tsurugi for a moment before answering his question. ''Nothing, really. Just thinking. What about you, Tsurugi… kun?'' He keeps his voice emotionless, but you can hear a little hesitation when Shindou addresses his old teammate.

The boy nods. ''I see,'' he says simply ''I was… taking a walk.''

Silence falls between the two, both staring at the water.

The silence is broken by the ringing of a phone. Tsurugi presses his phone to his ear. ''Yes, nii-san?'' the silence returns as Tsurugi listens to the caller. ''…I'll be there in a few minutes.'' He turns back to Shindou. ''Please excuse me, Shi- I mean, senpai. My brother just called to tell me that his check up at the hospital is done. I'll take my leave now.'' He stands up, and the older boy nods.

Just as Tsurugi passes him, Shindou turns his head to look at him. '' _I'm sorry…''_ he whispers, so quietly that it sounds like the wind. Tsurugi doesn't respond, but locks eyes with him for a second before he passes Shindou.

And while looking in those orange colored eyes, Shindou understands.

Shindou turns to see Tsurugi walk away, and a sad look appears in his dull, brown eyes. Because he knows how Tsurugi feels. He knows what Tsurugi means. After all, they all feel the same.

Then, the older boy turns around and starts walking away, while the thick silence returns. The words his old teammate wants to say are left behind, to be forgotten and blown away in the wind.

 _I'm sorry too._

* * *

A dark-haired male frowns while watching the tv-screen. Alone, in a dark room, only lighted by the tv, Endou Mamoru is watching the recording of Raimon's match against Kanashimi.

Every time the players of the Raimon Eleven are knocked down, he flinches. Every time a goal is made, he clenches his fist. But, no matter how much he hates to watch it, Endou Mamoru can't look away from the destruction of his team.

A hand on his shoulder snaps him out of his musings, and Endou turns to see Gouenji look at him with worried eyes. The white-haired forward frowns when he looks his friend in the eyes. The ex-coach of the Raimon Eleven is pale, and the bags under his eyes, created by sleep loss, are hard to miss.

Gouenji sighs. ''Endou… just take a break already. The past few weeks, you've worked so much… you never get any rest anymore. Everyone's worried about you.''

The brown-haired male looks sadly at his friend. ''I can't. We have to find out what happened, how we can help them, and-''

His friend cuts him off. ''Yeah, but you can't help when you're about to collapse. Please, Endou, this isn't helping at all. If you really want to do something, you'll go home and get some sleep, okay?'' The goalkeeper sighs, and nods. Gouenji frowns. ''And with 'some sleep' I mean at _least_ eight hours. I've dealt with your stubborness before, and I'll call Natsumi to make sure you get enough rest.''

Endou sighs, but nods anyway. ''Fine, but-''

''-the moment we find something, we'll call you, I know. Now go,'' Gouenji finishes for him.

After Endou left, Gouenji joins the other adults who are discussing what happened at the Raimon-Kanashimi match. Kidou walks up to him, and the two friends look at the people gathered in the room. They're in the old headquarters at Teikoku Academy. Almost all members of the original Raimon, the Inazuma Japan, and their friends decided to keep an eye out for Kanashimi. 'Raimon's Downfall' is pretty famous, after all, but almost everyone who knows Endou thought that something wasn't right. Kanashimi Junior High was too… _strange_. They're a new school, nobody knew them until they beat Raimon. They almost never played in matches before, and were almost invisible. Then, the fact that they literally _crushed_ Raimon. And the fact that Raimon lost their Keshin and Mixi-Max, maybe even their Souls, though the three who can use Souls, haven't tried it yet: so nobody is sure if they still have their Souls or not.

So now, almost everyone is looking for information, using Teikoku as their main base.

Kidou turns to look at Gouenji. ''You finally got him to go home?'' the game maker asks his friend, though he already knows the answer.

Gouenji nods. ''Yeah, but it wasn't easy. I had to call Natsumi to make sure he stays home, and gets at least eight hours of sleep. Damn stubbornness-issues…'' the forward mutters, and Kidou smirks. Gouenji looks up. ''Found anything yet?''

Kidou shakes his head. ''No, nothing. It's… Kanashimi is simply _perfect_. The school, the soccer club… they never did _anything_ wrong. It's too perfect, actually. Whoever they are, they are good.''

The light-haired adult narrows his eyes. ''Good enough to beat you?'' he asks softly, and Kidou looks at him sharply.

The Teikoky coach sighs. ''Until now? It pains me to say this, but yes. They're good enough to beat me – but I'm planning on changing that.''

Gouenji smiles. ''Of course you are.''

Silence returns, while the two are lost in their own thoughts. The few adults in the room – Hiroto, Kazemaru, Midorikawa, and a few others – are typing on the computers, trying to find something to help Endou and the ex-Raimon Eleven.

And then the silence is broken, by a surprised gasp from Hiroto. He turns around to look at Gouenji and Kidou. His eyes are narrowed, suspicion and surprise clearly evident in his gaze. He seems to look for words for a moment, before he opens his mouth and says the words everyone has been waiting for the last three weeks. ''Guys, I… I think I found something.''

* * *

 **And that's done! So, how's chapter 1?**

 **Honestly, guys: I have no idea how this story will go, so yeah… I hope I don't disappoint you.**

 **Please tell me if you guys want me to continue this. Bye bye, (hopely) until the next chapter~!**

 **\- Yara Meijer**


	3. Strange Things

**Hello again! Wow, three updates in three days? That's a new record~**

 **First, I want to warn all of you. This story will contain OCs (mostly as the bad guys) and there will be one very important OC. He won't appear much, but the end of this chapter will focus mostly on Tenma and my OC. Before you leave this story because of the OCs, I want to ask you to at least read this chapter. If you still think you don't want to read this, I understand and I'll respect your choices. But anyway, the reviews~**

 _ **do your best**_ **: Hahaha, sorry, sorry. I think that there will be at least thirteen OCs. I really hope you keep reading the story, even though there are OCs in it. Good to hear you can't wait for the next chapters, that means I'm doing a good job at this story! Thank you very much!**

 _ **Sai Og Sus**_ **: Okay, I'll answer both reviews at once. And the number 136? No actually not, I just picked a random number, but maybe it will get a special meaning later~ not sure about that. Thank you, I'm doing my best, even though I'm a very inexperienced writer.**

 _ **Nomadic Defender**_ **: I was planning to continue this~ I want to see where this goes, too.**

 _ **AmyGolden1104**_ **: Oh, another one of your reviews. Yay! Thanks, normally I don't write this fast, but I really like this story. I don't know why, but somehow, I can't wait to write a new chapter. It's like I'm the one who's reading the story and can't wait for the author to continue. Strange, huh? Well, anyway, here is Tenma. I hope he isn't too OOC, but there will be more of him in the next chapter. Yeah, I don't think Tenma would abandon soccer either, but this has to do with Kanashimi. They… welll, I can't tell you too much, where would be the fun in that, but yeah, they have something to do with it. I'm with you on the 'protecting' part, but in this story, it will be slightly different. No problem, and by the way, this chapter ends with a cliffhanger (again)…**

* * *

 **Last chapter:**

 _Silence returns, while the two are lost in their own thoughts. The few adults in the room – Hiroto, Kazemaru, Midorikawa, and a few others – are typing on the computers, trying to find something to help Endou and the ex-Raimon Eleven._

 _And then the silence is broken, by a surprised gasp from Hiroto. He turns around to look at Gouenji and Kidou. His eyes are narrowed, suspicion and surprise clearly evident in his gaze. He seems to look for words for a moment, before he opens his mouth and says the words everyone has been waiting for the last three weeks. ''Guys, I… I think I found something.''_

A dark-haired adult is sitting on the couch, staring into nothingness, when someone else enters the room. The woman has wavy, auburn hair and auburn colored eyes. She frowns when she sees the man, and walks towards him.

She sits next to him on the couch, looking at his face. The man looks a little better than yesterday, when he looked ready to collapse. She sighs, and places her hand on top of his. She hesitates for a moment, then opens her mouth to speak. ''Endou-kun… how are you feeling?'' she asks carefully.

The man looks up, and smiles weakly at her. ''Better than yesterday. Turns out, Gouenji was right.'' Natsumi nods, and smiles. It looks like she wants to say something, and Endou looks at her questionly. ''Something wrong, Natsumi?''

The woman shakes her head. ''Promise me not to freak out?'' she asks him. Endou looks surprised, but nods. He looks at her with curious eyes, and Natsumi takes a moment to gather her thoughts. ''Gouenji and Kidou requested your presence at the main base. Hiroto founs something.'' Endou's eyes widen, and he almost stands up. ''Endou-kun! Please, calm down. First, you have to eat breakfast and take a shower. Gouenji and Kidou told me they wouldn't let you in before twelve o'clock.''

Endou frowns, and pouts lightly. ''Should've known they would say that.'' Natsumi smiles slightly. ''Okay, I'll get ready. What about you?'' he asks his wife.

The woman smiles, and nods. ''I'll be coming with you to the main base,'' she tells her husband, and he leaves the room. Natsumi sighs. ''This better be good, Gouenji, Kidou. False information is the last thing we need right now.''

* * *

When the two arrive, they're surprised to find that the main base is a lot more crowded than usual. Most members of the Inazuma Japan are there. Fudou is talking silently with Kidou and Sakuma, Hiroto, Midorikawa, Haruna, Fubuki and Tachimukai are typing away on the computers, Kazemaru, Someoka, Toramaru, Tsunami, Kogure and Tobitaka are standing a few feet away, discussing something. Endou sees Gouenji and coach Kudou, and walks towards them, Natsumi following her husband.

Endou nods as a greeting, and looks sharply at the two other adults. ''What did you find?'' he asks, straight to the point.

Kudou looks at Gouenji. The white-haired male sighs and looks at his old captain. ''A few hours after you left, Hiroto found some interesting facts about Kanashimi. It isn't anything illegal, or something like that, but it's pretty strange. We called everyone, and told them that we would reveal everything when all the people were here. We are only waiting for Fuyuka and Aki.'' He turns to look at the big screen, which was used to watch the matches of the Holy Road Championship, but is now black. ''They should be here any moment now.''

Not even a moment after he says that, the lift opens and the two women walk out. Endou frowns when he looks at Aki. Her dark green her lost its brilliance, she looks very pale and has bags under her dark, sad eyes. Endou frowns, as he remembers that she lives with one of the ex-members of the Raimon soccer team. The goalkeeper decides to ask her about Tenma later.

Meanwhile, Hiroto, Kidou and Gouenji are standing in front of the big screen. Gouenji starts talking. ''We called you yesterday, because we found something about Kanashimi, after three weeks of constant searching. Hiroto, if you please.'' He nods at the redhead.

Said man turns towards the big screen, which lights up. ''I've been looking for some simple facts of Kanashimi Junior High. And then I found something.'' On the screen appears a picture of a building. It looks like a school. The first thing everyone sees, is how _white_ it is. The walls, the stairs, _everything_ is white, with here and there a hint of blue. The second thing is the logo. It's in the form of a lotus. The lines that create the flower are blue and the petals are white, except for the heart, which is a light colored blue. Hiroto turns to look at the people gathered in the room. ''This is Kanashimi Junior High. I couldn't find anything else about the school, so I decided to look for the logo. And that's where I found something interesting.'' He takes a moment to gather his thoughts, before continuing. ''The logo has been used before. It's pretty famous, actually. About six years ago, there appeared two young, talented scientists in the science world. They were twin brothers, Ishikawa Jirou and Ishikawa Kazuo.'' On the screen appeares a picture of two men wearing white lab coats. On the coats is a little, familiar lotus logo. The men have sky blue hair, a slightly tanned skin and blue eyes, though they are more sapphire blue. The men are about nineteen years old. It's vey obvious the two are twins, but there are a few differences. One of them has long hair, hold together in a low ponytail. He has a scar on his left cheek, and a mischievous glint in his eyes. The other one has short hair, and wears glasses. He smiles slightly, and is obviously the more rational one of the two. Hiroto starts talking again. ''They are very smart, and used to work on cloning methods. After they finished their first project, four years ago, they started to work on something new. Not much details are known, but I found out that it was about the mind and memories.''

Endou frowns. What is this about? What have those two to do with Kanashimi? From the looks of it, he's not the only one who wonders that. Hiroto smiles and continues. ''I know everyone is wondering what this had to do with Kanashimi.'' His eyes turn serious again. ''Four months after they started their project, they suddenly disappeared from the spotlights. Not much is known about what happened after that, but… after a lot of research, I found out that they started a school somewhere in the middle of nowhere. That school is Kanashima. Ishikawa Kazuo, the oldest, became the director. He's the one with the glasses. The other one, with the ponytail, is Ishikawa Jirou, youngest brother, coach of the Kanashimi soccer team.''

Silence engulfs the room,as everyone is lost in their own thoughts. Fudou is the one to break it. ''So we known the director and the coach. We know that they used to be scientists, and for apparently no reason, abandoned their work to start a school in the middle of Japan. Am I the only one who thinks that doesn't make any sense?'' he says, frowning.

Kidou takes a step forward. ''You're not. I thought it was strange, so I did some research of my own.'' He hesitates, and everyone looks at him with curious eyes. ''I… it seems like the two brothers continued their work, even after starting Kanashimi. And… it hasn't been proved true, but in the past, they've been accused of illegal research,'' the game maker says, and sighs.

Gouenji frowns, and opens his mouth to voice his thoughts. Endou, who, apparently, had the same thoughts, beats him to it. ''Kidou…?'' he asks quietly, and said man turns to look at his friend. ''What exactly did you mean with 'illegal research'?'' Endou asks.

Kidou is silent, not meeting Endou's eyes, like he doesn't want to answer his question. After a few seconds, he sighs and looks at his old captain. ''They've been accused of researching the human brain. In other words, they've been accused of human experimenting on mind manipulation and memory filtering.''

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of Inazuma Town, a boy clenches his fists, glaring at the two adults. He grits his teeth, and in his orange colored eyes burns an angry fire. His reddish brown hair is kept up in a high ponytail, and around his neck is a white bandage. A bruise is forming on his left cheek. ''No!'' he says loudly, even though he knows what defying the two men means.

One of the adults smiles coldly at him, and the sapphire eyes behind the glasses have a dangerous glint. ''You can't defy us, Sakaki Haruki. The moment you set foot in our school, your fate was signed,'' says the oldest of the two, Ishikawa Kazuo.

The other one, Ishikawa Jirou, glares at the boy before him. '' I don't want to see your face anymore. Leave,'' he says in a commanding voice.

Haru grits his teeth again, and bows, though it misses his normal grace. ''Yes, coach,'' the boy says quietly, and turns to walk away.

After he left the room, Haru sighs, and walks towards the exit of the building. As he leaves, the sun shines down on him, giving his hair and eyes a fiery look. Haru starts walking, not really noticing where he's going. After walking for a while, he sits down. He looks around, and sees that he is on a soccer field on the riverside. He sighs and closes his eyes, slumping forward.

When he opens his eyes again, their normal fire is gone. He stares at the ground beofre him, lost in thought. Once again, he curses the Ishikawa twins for interfering with his life. The moment he saw them for the first time, Haru knew they were just putting up a facade. He didn't want to help them out, but he didn't have a choice. After all, they promised to help _her_ , and she was the most important thing in his life.

When Haru looks up, the first thing he sees is a greyish blue. He blinks, and realises that he looks in the eyes of a boy, around the same age of him. The boy looks at him curiously. When he speaks, his voice sounds surprised. ''You're from the Kanashimi soccer team, aren't you?'' he says.

Haru narrows his eyes. This boy seems familiar. The greyish blue eyes, the brown hair… then he remembers. Seeing this boy, on the field, wearing a white and blue jersey, with the red captain's band. ''And you're from the old Raimon Eleven,'' Haru states.

The boy nods. ''Sorry, I didn't catch your name the first time I saw you,'' he says quietly, and Haru is surprised with the hostility in his voice, or rather, the lack thereof.

But he doesn't comment on it, at least, not yet. ''I'm Sakaki Haruki,'' he says instead. ''I don't remember your name either.''

Haru sees an amused glance in those greyish blue eyes. ''Matsukaze Tenma.'' Silence returns, as the two boys look at each other. Tenma is the one who breaks it. ''Do you mind if I sit down?'' he asks.

The Kanashimi player is surprised, but shakes his head, and the ex-captain sits down next to him. Haru hesitates for a moment, but then opens his mouth to speak. ''Matsukaze-san… why are you being so… _normal_ to me?'' The other boy looks at him curiously. Haru continues. ''I mean, I'm part of the team that… well, I'm part of Kanashimi,'' he explains, not wanting to talk about the real event.

Tenma sighs, and looks at the sky. ''Yeah, I should probably be giving you the cold shoulder, right? But… I'm just too tired to stay angry. And you looked like you needed someone to talk to,'' the other boy explains, and looks at the bruise on Haru's cheek.

Said boy looks at him surprised, but nods. The silence continues as the two boys look at the sky. Both of them have a sad look in their eyes. Haru is the one who breaks the peace. ''I used to love soccer. When I was little, I always played with my younger sister and friends.'' He smiles at the memory. ''But then, my sister got sick. She wanted me to keep playing, and I did. But our… we didn't have the money to pay my sister's hospital bills. And then, the perfect opportunity appeared. If I came to Kanashimi Junior High, and played in the soccer team, they would pay the bills. I didn't want to, but I couldn't let such a chance slip. So I said yes,'' Haru tells the other boy.

Tenma smiles. ''Once, when I was young, I saw a young puppy. He was stuck between a few plank that were about to fall. I saved the dog, but fell and was almost crushed myself. But before the planks could hit me, a soccer ball hit them, and saved me. I saw a figure who smiled at me. I still have the ball, and on it is the Raimon logo,'' the other boy says. ''That's the reason why I joined Raimon.''

Haru looks at him, surprised. ''I see. So you were saved by soccer,'' he mutters. ''Thank you for telling me, Matsukaze-san.''

Tenma smiles at him, and shakes his head. ''Please drop the -san, Sakaki-kun. We're the same age, after all,'' he tells him.

The other boy smiles too. ''Then you drop the -kun, Matsukaze.''

Tenma nods, and hesitates. ''Can I ask you… what happened to your cheek? And why are you wearing bandage?'' he asks carefully.

Haru stiffens, and then relaxes slightly. ''Just an accident during training,'' he answers, not saying anything about the bandage.

An awkward silence falls between them. They both stare at the river, trying to think of something to say. But really, what can they say? One of them literally _crushed_ the other. Yeah, that's a great conversation topic. So the silence stays, but the awkwardness slowly disappears.

The sun slowly starts to sink, giving everything a fiery glow. Haru looks at the other boy, who is looking at the orange sky. He takes a deep breath. ''Matsukaze, I…'' he pauses, and Tenma turns to look at him. ''I just wanted to say… I'm sorry.''

He flinches, not meeting Tenma's eyes. Tenma looks at him for a ling time, not answering. Then he sighs. ''I would like to say 'it's okay', but honestly, it's not. You took away the thing I loved most.'' Haru sighs. He should've known that Tenma couldn't forgive him. But he is proven wrong when Tenma speaks again. ''But… After hearing your story, and talking to you like this, I don't think you wanted to do it, right?'' he asks, and Haru shakes his head. Tenma smiles. ''Well, what do you say, should we start over?'' he asks Haru.

Haru looks at him surprised, and then smiles. ''I'd like that.'' He takes a moment to gather his thoughts. ''I'm a student at Kanashimi Junior High, and my name is Sakaki Haruki.'' He hesitates for a moment, but then decides to go on. ''Please call me Haru.'' They did say they would start over, right?

Tenma looks surprised, but smiles anyway. ''I'm Matsukaze Tenma, Raimon Junior High. Please call me Tenma.''

Haru smiles at his new friend. ''It's nice to meet you, Tenma.''

Tenma smiles back. ''It's nice to meet you too, Haru.''

* * *

The following morning, Tenma reflects on what happened the day before. When he first saw Haru, sitting on the side of the soccer field, he wanted to turn and walk away. That guy was from Kanashimi! But then Tenma noticed the bandage and the bruise, and the sad look on his face. So, without any logical explanation, he walked towards the boy. Somehow, they immediately became friends, even though what happened at the Kanashimi-Raimon match.

Tenma looks up to see Sasuke sitting in front of him. The boy smiles at his dog. ''What is it, Sasuke?''

The dog turns, and looks at something. Tenma follows his gaze, but doesn't see what Sasuke is looking at. Then, the dog nudges the old soccer ball that saved Tenma all those years ago.

Tenma frowns. ''What is it, Sasuke? You want me to play again?'' he stands up and walks towards his dog, placing his hand on the ball. ''I can't, Sasuke,'' he says, but the dog only looks at him. Then, Sasuke pushes the ball, and it falls on the ground. The dog follows the ball, nudging it towards his master. Tenma looks at him, surprised. ''Sasuke…''

The dog turns towards the window, looking at the cloudy sky. Tenma follows his gaze. ''It looks so sad…'' he mutters. ''Like the sky is crying…'' he sighs, and looks at the soccer ball again, before picking it up. He looks at the Raimon logo. ''Ne, Sasuke?'' he asks quietly. ''Do you think… do you think that soccer is sad?''

Before he can continue, a sharp pain shoots through his head, and Tenma groans. The ball falls on the ground, as he grabs his head with both hands. Another pain-filled sting goes through his head, and Tenma falls to the ground. More stings shoot through his head, each one worse than the lost one, until the only thing the boy can feel is pain. He is lying on the ground, clutching his head, as he tries his best to breathe.

And when Tenma feels the first signs of unconsciousness, he breathes a sigh of relief, before blacking out.

* * *

 **And that's done. I'd like to apologize if Tenma seemed OOC, but I have my reasons for that. I mean, his team was destroyed, he quit the sport he loves most, and then he suddenly sees someone from the team responsible. As for Haru, I know it sounds strange that Tenma would just go to him and act all nice and friendly and stuff, but I can't imagine Tenma getting angry at someone who won against his team. And the friendship between Haru and Tenma? That's very important~**

 **I understand if people don't want to read a story with OCs, and I understand if you don't want to read this story anymore. But I just want to say, this was one of the few parts that will focus on Haru, and I needed to have a 'good guy' in Kanashimi. So yeah, Haru was created. I promise that the next chapter will focus on the old Raimon Eleven more.**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope I didn't disappoint you~**

 **Until next chapter,**

 **Yara Meijer~**


	4. Sickness

**Hey hey, I'm back again.**

 **Actually, I wrote chapter two, three and four on the same day. Just decided not to publish them at once. Wow, everything I've done today is write fanfiction. Just… wow. That's new.**

 **Anyway, the reviews… or should I say, review? Well, anyway, here you go~**

 _ **do your best**_ **: Thank you, thank you, I tried. And Tenma and Haru are the only ones from the two different teams. I just needed a player from Kanashimi, and yeah, Tenma seemed like one of the few players who would actually give him a chance. I guess, if Raimon (and I say if) finds out about Tenma's and Haru's friendship, I guess they'll be pretty angry. I mean, Haru is like, the enemy. And here you have your Shindou/Kirino moment! They'll interact more in chapter five (yes, I know that. Chapter four is already done). Thank you! Tenma's a bit more serious, isn't he? Well, in chapter four, he is more like the anime-Tenma. At least, I think he is. Everyone has his or her own opinion!**

 **Anyway, enjoy~**

* * *

 _ **Last chapter:**_

 _Before he can continue, a sharp pain shoots through his head, and Tenma groans. The ball falls on the ground, as he grabs his head with both hands. Another pain-filled sting goes through his head, and Tenma falls to the ground. More stings shoot through his head, each one worse than the lost one, until the only thing the boy can feel is pain. He is lying on the ground, clutching his head, as he tries his best to breathe._

 _And when Tenma feels the first signs of unconsciousness, he breathes a sigh of relief, before blacking out._

When Kirino reaches Raimon Junior High, he walks quietly towards his classroom. He passes a few students on the way there, but he doesn't know any of them and they don't notice him. Kirino realises he's pretty early, and sighs. Ever after their last match, he hasn't been sleeping good.

The pink-haired boy silently enters his classroom. He is one of the first, and sighs again. He walks towards his desk, sitting down and simply looking out the window. The other students slowly begin to enter the classroom as well. After a few minutes, the owner of the desk next to his enters the classroom, and Shindou sits down.

Most of the ex-Raimon members don't talk to each other, but that doesn't apply to Shindou and Kirino. Well, not exactly. They've been more awkward towards each other, but at least they're still talking.

''Good morning, Kirino,'' says the game maker, and smiles at his friend.

Kirino smiles back. ''Good morning.''

Silence engulfs the two, as the two friends wait for the lesson to start. The time passes fast, and a few hours later, the two walk towards the cafetaria. They just sit down and take out their lunch, when someone walks toward them. Kirino watches on in surprise, as Kariya stops at their table. They haven't talked to him in the past three weeks, so it's surprising that the tealhaired boy shows up so suddenly.

Shindou seems to think the same thing, because he looks at the younger boy surprised. ''Can we help you with something?'' he asks his ex-teammate, who looks incredibly awkward, standing there.

The boy sighs, and nods. He hesitates for a few moments, not meeting their eyes, but then opens his mouth to speak. ''I was wondering… have you seen Ten- I mean, Matsukaze today?'' he asks, and the slip up doesn't go unnoticed by his senpai.

Kirino and Shindou share a look. They haven't talked to the ex-captain after the match, and they know that Kariya hasn't either. So why would he ask now, of all times? Kirino answers. ''No, why? Something wrong?'' Maybe they're not on good terms with each other, but Kirino still worries about his old teammate, though he isn't going to admit that. He knows for a fact, that the same goes for Shindou.

Kariya still looks like he feels very awkward, standing there, but after that question, he looks his senpai in the eye, all awkwardness forgotten. ''He didn't show up in class today, and the others haven't heard anything from him either. The teacher said that he was probably sick, but yesterday he looked perfectly fine. And Matsukaze isn't one to stay home, even when he's sick,'' Kariya explains.

Shindou frowns, and Kirino knows that his friend is worried. Kirino is starting to worry too. He knows Tenma, and remembers the last time he was sick – he collapsed in the middle of lunch, and stayed home for the next four days. Kirino looks at Kariya again. ''Have you tried the other senpai yet? Maybe they know something,'' he says.

Kariya shakes his head. ''We've tried, but they don't know anything either. We've tried calling him, too, but he isn't answering his phone,'' the younger boy mutters.

Shindou's frown deepens, if that's possible. ''He's… he's probably just sick, and Aki keeps him home. Just… just keep an eye out for him, okay? And when he's back, please tell us,'' says the wavy haired boy, and Kariya nods. Then, the teal-haired boy turns around and walks away, and Kirino looks at Shindou.

''What do you think happened? You don't really think he's sick,'' says the pink-haired boy, who reads his friend easily.

Shindou looks at him, and sighs. ''I don't know. We both know Matsukaze, and he isn't one to stay home from school. Last time, he fooled us all – why wouldn't he do the same this time? I'm probably just overreacting, but I've got a bad feeling about this,'' he tells his friend.

Kirino nods. ''You and me both. And from the looks of it, we're not the only ones.''

His friend smiles slightly. ''Yeah. But, what can we do about it? We just have to keep our eyes open and hope he is alright.''

Kirino nods, but deep down, he knows it's not that easy. It's never that easy.

* * *

After Kidou's revelation, everyone was in chaos. But who could blame them? _Human experimenting_. Even though it hasn't been proved true, this was _Kidou_ they were talking about.

It took a while for everyone to calm down, and when they did, they talked about everything, making new plans. They decided to go on with the research, mainly focusing on the Ishikawa twins.

When almost everyone had left, Endou and Natsumi approached Aki. The woman had been silent most of the time, and was surprised when she saw her old friends. She smiled anyway.

Endou smiled back. ''Hey. I wanted to ask, how're you holding up?'' he asks softly.

Aki looks at him surprised. ''I'm… fine,'' is all she can say.

Natsumi shakes her head. ''No, you're not. You can't lie to us, Aki. We've known you for more than ten years now. Don't try to hide the truth,'' the woman says, and lays a hand on Aki's shoulder.

Said woman smiles sadly. ''Tenma… I'm worried about him. He's been very quiet lately, and hasn't touched a soccer ball since the match, three weeks ago. He doesn't smile as much anymore, and I… I just don't know what to do.'' Her eyes fill with tears, and Natsumi pulls her in a hug.

''Hey. It's okay. We'll figure this out, and he'll be back to normal before you know it,'' she says quietly.

Endou places a hand on her shoulder, and smiles sadly. ''And you know Tenma. He just needs some time, and then he'll be going around, saying 'things will work out somehow' like always,'' he says. Aki keeps crying quietly. ''He's strong, you know. He'll be fine, I'm sure of it.''

Aki looks up at him, still in Natsumi's embrace, and nods carefully. ''But… what can I do? He doesn't talk to me, no matter what I do, and I can't stand to see him like that…''

Endou smiles at her. ''Just be there for him, let him know that he has someone to turn to when things get hard. You can't force him to open up. Just make sure he knows you care about him, and everything will be fine.''

When she got home later that evening, it was to see Tenma, sitting at the table, looking out the window. When she approached him, he looked at her, and smiled hesitantly. She smiled back. ''Did something happen?'' she asked him.

He looked lost for words for a moment. ''I… met someone todat.''

She raised an eyebrow. ''Someone?'' she asks him, and the boy nods.

Tenma smiled slightly. ''A… a friend, I guess. We talked for a while, but he had to leave later.''

Aki nodded. ''A friend, huh? That's good. Am I going to meet him?''

The boy shrugged. ''I don't know, but I hope so.''

Aki smiles at the memory. Tenma looked a little more like himself, the evening before. Speaking of Tenma, where is he? He should be getting ready for school by now. She frowns, and walks toward his room.

Knocking on his door, she waits for a response. She doesn't get one. ''Tenma?'' she asks hesitantly. ''I'm coming in.'' When she opens the door, she looks around the room. Her eyes almost immediately fall on the boy laying on the ground. She runs toward him, falling on her knees beside the boy she sees as her little brother. ''Tenma?!'' she asks alarmed, and shakes his shoulder.

''Ugh…'' groans the boy, slowly opening his greyish blue eyes. They seem unfocused, and he blinks a few times. ''A… Aki?'' he asks. The woman helps him sit up. ''What happened?'' he asks.

She shakes her head. ''I don't know. I thought you were late, so I went to look for you. I just saw you lying on the ground,'' she answers him.

Tenma frowns. ''I… I think… I remember talking to Sasuke, and that my head hurt. A lot. I think I blacked out after that,'' he says hesitantly. ''But I'm fine now, though I do have a headache.''

Aki breathes a sigh of relief. ''Thank goodness,'' she mutters. ''I don't want you to go to school today,'' she says, and holds up a hand to stop the protest that is coming. ''Just to be sure. You're probably just very stressed, and I don't want to take any risks. Please, Tenma.''

The boy sighs, and nods. ''Do I have to stay in the house all day?'' he asks her, and Aki shakes her head.

''No, you can go out later today, but I want you to take it easy. Don't do anything stressful, okay?''

Tenma nods. ''Got it.'' After making sure he's fine, Aki leaves the room, but is stopped by a soft voice. ''Aki?'' she turns to look at Tenma. ''Thanks.''

She smiles at him. ''You're welcome.''

* * *

Later that day, Tenma is walking towards the riverside, where he talked to Haru the day before. They talked for a long time, and Haru told him that he and his team are staying at Inazuma Town for a match against Teikoku Academy. For some reason, Tenma hopes to see his new friend again.

But the riverside is abandoned. Tenma sighs, and sits down on the bench. He closes his eyes. The headache from this morning has almost disappeared. Tenma sits quietly on the bench, trying to ignore his headache, listening to the sound of the wind.

''T-Matsukaze-kun?'' asks a familiar voice, and Tenma opens his eyes. Before him are two familiar people.

''Nishizono-kun, Sorano-san,'' he acknowledges his old friends. Shinsuke and Aoi are looking at him with wide, surprised eyes, and Tenma scolds himself for not noticing them before. His headache comes back full force, and he grits his teeth to endure the pain.

Aoi takes a step forward. ''Matsukaze-kun, where were you today? We didn't see you at school, and…'' her voice fades away.

Tenma looks at his ex-friends, trying to ignore his head. ''And?''

Aoi hesitates, and Shinsuke takes over. ''We were worried about you…'' he mutters.

Tenma fakes a smile. ''You don't have to worry about me. As you can see, I'm perfectly fine,'' he tells them.

Shinsuke frowns. ''But then why were you absent today, Matsukaze-kun?'' he asks the brown-haired boy.

Tenma hesitates for a moment. ''This morning, I didn't feel good, and Aki said that I had to stay home. But I'm feeling much better now, just a slight headache.'' That's not true: his head feels like it's close to exploding.

Aoi looks at him worriedly. ''Are you sure? You look pale,'' she says, and frowns.

Tenma looks at her, and grey meets blue. ''I'm a little tired. Maybe I should go home for today,'' he answers, and stands up.

Shinsuke's voice stops him. ''Will you be going to school tomorrow?'' he asks Tenma.

Said boy shrugges. ''I'm not sure, but you don't have to worry. I've had worse. See you later,'' he says, and walks away, leaving his classmates behind.

The moment he can't see them anymore, the headache disappears. Tenma frowns and stops. ''Okay, that's… strange,'' he mutters to himself. Then he shrugs, and walks home.

 **Hahaha… yeah… I wanted to do some other Raimon characters. I hope you guys like it.**

 **Thanks for reading, by the way~!**

 **Bye bye,**

 **Yara Meijer~**


	5. Calm before the Storm

**Hey hey, here's chapter 4!**

 **First, I want to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed, or just took the to read this story. So, thank you very much, everyone~! It makes me very happy to know that people like this story~!**

 **Well, then, let's start with the reviews, huh?**

 _ **Hey**_ ** _(Guest)_ : I'll answer both your reviews at the same time, okay? Well, here we go! Thank you, I'm trying really hard to make this a good story! And about the 'kidnapping from the hospital' thing... When I read it, I was like 'hahaha... okay... yeah... didn't think about that one...' so, you gave me quite a shock with that comment, but also some inspiration, so thanks. Well, yeah, I acutally hadn't really planned that far ahead. But I do think Tenma will go to the hospital, but about the kidnapping thing, I'm not sure. Maybe, but I'm actually thinking of something else... Anyway, you'll see~! Thanks for reviewing!**

 _ **do your best**_ **: You do? That's ra relief~ and about the Shindou/Kirino moment, it's actually the very first one I ever wrote, so I'm glad you liked it. And the chapters? Hahaha... Not sure, but I think it's gonna take more chapters than I planned. If I have to guess? Well, probably 15 chapters or more... And about Haru? You know, when I started this story, I was planning to make the Kanashimi players more emotionless, and more like the enemy, but then I thought 'wouldn't it be awesome if someone from Raimon became friends with a Kanashimi player?' I mean, really, I like this way more. I'm glad you like him too, first I was kind of worried about the fact that an OC plays a pretty important roll. I don't really like OCs either, because I've read some stories with OCs, where the OC became, like, the main character. That's not what I like, you know? I want to try to keep the story like the real anime. So, of course, this story will end with an (hopefully awesome) soccer match~ PLease enjoy!**

 ** _AmyGolden1104_ : Hi, again! You do? Yay! I'm trying to make him more like anime-Tenma, but I think I'll have a better chance at doing so in the next few chapters. I mean, the first few chapters are pretty serious, so I couldn't really let him walk around, saying, 'everything will work out somehow'. And about the 'crushed' part? I tried to plan out everything, before even deciding that Haru would be in the story and all. And, yeah, what _is_ happening to him? You're the first one to figure it out! This 'sickness' does have something to do with Raimon and soccer, and all. Well, the 'ball' part is only partly true: remember, everytime he's in his room, the ball is there. But, if you remember, Tenma said something before his head started to hurt~ and yes, something is indeed wrong. More will be revealed in the next chapter, don't worry! Bye, and enjoy~!**

 **Well, I wanted to warn you guys. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up, I hope tonight (where I come from, it's around 12 o'clock right now), but I have to work on a history project, and it's gonna take a while, I'm afraid. I really like history, but this project is a lot of work, and I promised the one who I'm working with to finish it before 5 o'clock today, and I haven't even started yet... Yeah, very smart. But, anyway, I hope the next chapter will be up tonight or tomorrow. So, enjoy the story and the cliffhanger *evil grin***

 **Last chapter:**

 _Tenma hesitates for a moment. ''This morning, I didn't feel good, and Aki said that I had to stay home. But I'm feeling much better now, just a slight headache.'' That's not true: his head feels like it's close to exploding._

 _Aoi looks at him worriedly. ''Are you sure? You look pale,'' she says, and frowns._

 _Tenma looks at her, and grey meets blue. ''I'm a little tired. Maybe I should go home for today,'' he answers, and stands up._

 _Shinsuke's voice stops him. ''Will you be going to school tomorrow?'' he asks Tenma._

 _Said boy shrugges. ''I'm not sure, but you don't have to worry. I've had worse. See you later,'' he says, and walks away, leaving his classmates behind._

 _The moment he can't see them anymore, the headache disappears. Tenma frowns and stops. ''Okay, that's… strange,'' he mutters to himself. Then he shrugs, and walks home._

* * *

Two days later, Aki finds herself at Teikoky Academy. Again. She decided to pay her friends a visit to see how the research is going. When she exits the lift, she sees Endou, Kidou, Kudou, Hiroto, Midorikawa and Haruka. She walks toward Kidou and Endou, who are talking to each other. She smiles at the two males. ''Hello. How is the research going?'' she asks them.

Endou gives her a smile and Kidou nods as a greeting. ''It seems like Hiroto's information was right. We found some interesting facts. Turns out, the Ishikawa twins used to play soccer when they were young, and immediately after they graduated, they became scientists. We made a list of Kanashimi's soccer team too, and researched the players and managers. They all suddenly transferred to Kanashimi, in the same three months, about a year ago, without any apparent reason,'' Kidou tells her. ''We've also been searching for information on the science projects, but we didn't have much luck. The twins have also been buying a lot of chemicals, from the money they earned from their cloning project. We're not sure why they need chemicals, but the past three years, they've been getting their hands on a lot of strange stuff. Midorikawa and Hiroto are searching for illegal activities, which they found. Some of the things they bought are forbidden in Japan,'' he finishes.

Aki frowns and looks at the ground. ''Wow. I never expected that,'' she mutters. Then she looks at her old friends. ''And what about the Keshin and Mixi-Max? Did you find anything about that?''

Endou is the one who answers. ''A bit. After watching the other matches of Kanashimi, we found out that none of the other teams they played against lost their Keshin… and also, they've been playing much nicer against the other teams. Nobody has scored against them yet, but Kanashimi hasn't been scoring as much as they did against Raimon. Actually, they never score more than ten points.''

Kidou takes over. ''If we really want to find out more about the Keshin and Mixi-Max, we have to get one of Raimon's Keshin users to help us. Right now, we can't do much.''

Aki frowns, and Endou looks at her. ''How's Tenma doing?'' he asks her.

The woman shakes her head. ''Not good.''

Endou looks at her surprised. ''What do you mean?''

She sighs. ''He's… sick. But it's not normal. It's not a normal fever, but it doens't look like anything too serious either.''

Kidou's eyes narrow behind his goggles. ''Can you tell me more about him? Anything can help us now.''

Aki nods. ''Um, let's see… well, it started three days ago. The morning after our meeting, Tenma was really late, so I went to his room to check up on him. When I got there, he was lying on the ground, unconscious. He woke up a few seconds after that, and said his head hurt and that he collapsed after that. I told him to stay home, but he seemed fine, so I let him go out that evening. When he returned, he told me he met Aoi-chan and Shinsuke-kun, and that his headache returned. He told me his headache was gone by the time he returned home. The past two days, it was really strange. One moment he was completely fine, the other, he told me his head hurt very much. I'm not sure what to do, but Tenma said he didn't need to go see a doctor,'' she tells them.

Kidou nods. ''Thank you for telling me this. Maybe this could come in handy. Probably not, but, who knows? It's better to have all the information we can get.'' With that, he excuses himself and walks away to discuss something with Kudou.

Aki turns to look at Endou, who seems worried. He sighs. ''Ugh, everything's just so messed up. I really don't know what to do anymore,'' he says and looks at the ground.

Aki smiles at him. ''You told me yourself, didn't you? It's going to be fine. Or, like Tenma would say, things will work out somehow.''

Endou smiles. ''Yeah. It's going to be alright.''

 _I hope._

* * *

Tsurugi Kyousuke is walking down the street, when he sees a familiar face. Bright, orange hair is the first thing he notices. Then, he sees the player. It seems like the other noticed him too.

''Hey, Tsurugi-kun. Haven't seen you in a while,'' the other says.

Tsurugi ignores the part of himself that simply wants to walk away. ''Amemiya. It's been a while.''

Taiyou smiles slightly. ''Yeah… Chrono Storm, huh? Heard you guys became the best team in the galaxy next?'' he asks, amused.

Tsurugi cocks an eyebrow. ''How did you know that? I don't believe it's public knowledge,'' he says, and looks curiously at the other player.

Taiyou laughs. ''Nah, it isn't. Tenma told me.'' Tsurugi stiffens at the name. ''Oh, sorry, shouldn't have said that. But, how're you guys holding up?''

Tsurugi sighs. ''I'm fine, I guess. Not sure about the others, though. We're not really talking to each other anymore.'' Taiyou nods, and Tsurugi hesitates for a second. ''Tenma's sick. He hasn't been going to school for the past three days,'' he tells the orange-haired boy.

Taiyou frowns. ''Is it serious?''

The blue-haired boy shakes his head. ''I don't know. Apparently, he has a headache or something. Nishizono said he didn't look good.''

Taiyou frowns. ''Wow.'' He pauses. ''It has been pretty strange, these past weeks, huh?''

Tsurugi looks at him, surprised. ''What do you mean?''

Taiyou shrugs, and looks at the sky for a moment. ''Well…'' he takes a moment to gather his thoughts. ''You guys do know you've made a big impact on all the other schools, right? You've made friends at almost every school you played against. I've heard from some friends and teammates… even though 'Raimon's Downfall' has been forgotten in most of Japan, at the other schools, the teams are worried. We've all seen the match, Tsurugi-kun. We saw what happened. Most teams have connections with the original Raimon Eleven, and they… they told us your Keshin and Mixi-Max are gone.''

Tsurugi narrows his eyes. ''Who told you that?''

Taiyou shrugs again. ''Like I said, I heard from some teammates and friends, who heard it from other teams, who heard it from the original Raimon Eleven. And, really, the entire Raimon team quit. Everyone who knows you has figured out that something's wrong by now.'' The other boy sighs, and remains quiet. Taiyou studies him for a while, a worried look in his eyes. When he talks again, it's in a quiet voice. ''Tsurugi-kun… how're you really? We've been on the same team, and maybe we didn't interact much, but I've seen enough to know that it's not okay. And looking at you, I think what you need right now is someone who will listen and who doesn't really know you.''

Tsurugi hesitates for a while longer, than sighs. ''You're right: everything is messed up. The team, soccer, everything. You've seen our match against Kanashimi, right? Well, everyone wanted to forget what happened there. But it's a lot harder than you'd expect. You see the signs everywhere… and I don't think the original Raimon has given up either.''

Taiyou smiles. ''No, not really. I think they're trying to find some clues about Kanashimi – I mean, do you have any idea what could've been the cause for you guys to lose your Keshin and Mixi-Max?'' he asks the other. The ex-Raimon player shakes his head. ''So… you're Keshin… it's really gone?''

Tsurugi sighs. ''Yeah, I… I can't feel it at all. You probably don't notice, but you always have that feeling, the energy… when you use your Keshin so much you can't bring it out anymore, it feels like something is missing, right? The energy needed for Keshin? Well, it's kind of like that, only… permanent. Same goes for Mixi-Max. I can't… _feel_ it at all,'' Tsurugi explains.

''Wow…'' Taiyou mutters, and Tsurugi nods.

''By the way, maybe you should visit Tenma.''

Taiyou looks up with wide, surprised eyes. ''Where did that come from?''

Tsurugi shrugs. ''Well, he probably doesn't want to see any of his old teammates right now, but he can probably use a friend.''

Taiyou smiles and nods. ''Yeah. I guess I'll check up on him. I don't have anything to do anyway. It was good talking to you.''

Tsurugi nods. ''Yeah.''

* * *

Aki is out at the moment, and Tenma is home alone. He sighs, lying on his bed, looking out the window. He is so _bored_! There's nothing he can do! Aki told him to stay at home, in case something happens.

''Aha… I'm so bored, Sasuke. What can I do?'' he asks his dog, who barks in return.

The silence returns, as Tenma is lost in thought. Again. Not even a minute later the doorbell rings, and Tenma leaves his bedroom to open the door. Curiously, he walks through the hall, wondering who could be at the door. The doorbell rings again, showing that the other person is pretty impatient.

When Tenma opens the door, the first thing he sees is bright orange. It takes him a few seconds to realise who's standing before him. ''Tai-Taiyou?!'' he asks surprised.

The other boy nods. ''Yup! Missed me?'' he grins.

Tenma just looks at him for a moment. ''EH?! What're you doing here?!'' he asks surprised.

Taiyou's grin changes into a smile. ''I heard you were sick, so I wanted to check up on you,'' he tells his friend.

''Ah… well, come in,'' Tenma answers.

A while later, the two boys are sitting in Tenma's room. Taiyou's looking around, taking everything in. ''Wow, you've got a nice room.'' He turns to look at his friend. ''So, how are you feeling?''

Tenma smiles. ''Right now, I'm fine. But over five seconds, I could feel like my head's going to explode.'' Taiyou looks at him quiestionly. ''I've been feeling pretty strange the past days. One moment, I'm perfectly fine, and the next, I have an awful headache. I never know when I get an 'attack', like Aki calls it,'' he explains.

The orange-haired boy frowns. ''What happens during the attacks?'' he asks.

Tenma sighs. ''I'm not sure, I never really remember. Apparently, my head starts to hurt really bad, and I am in a lot of pain. A few moments later, I usually black out. At least, that's what Aki says, also the reason why she doesn't let me out of the house,'' he answers.

Taiyou frowns. ''Ouch.'' Then, his frown turns into a smile. ''Well, that's not the reason I'm here. So turn that frown upside down! If I were you, I would be really bored here.''

Tenma chuckles. ''You have no idea.''

The next half hour, they talk about everything they can think about. When Aki comes home, she's surprised to find Taiyou, but smiles and welcomes him warmly.

* * *

Later that evening, after Taiyou left, Aki looks at Tenma with a serious expression. ''Tenma, as you probably know the original Raimon has been doing research, and we've found some… interesting things about Kanashimi. So we've decided to gather the ex-Raimon Eleven. I know you want to forget about what happened, but we need your help. We believe that this is bigger than just the soccer team.''

Tenma looks at her surprised. ''What do you mean?''

Aki hesitates. ''The coach of Kanashimi and the director, are twins. Their past is… it's full of secrets, but they used to be soccer players. Also, the past few years, they've been doing illegal things, though it never has been proved.''

Tenma lookes at her, surprise and suspense evident in his gaze. ''What kind of illegal things?'' he asks quietly.

Aki hesitates again. ''Experimenting on human mind manipulation and memory filtering. We believe… that they might be experimenting on… on the soccer players.''

Tenma's eyes widen, fear evident in his eyes. ''No way…'' he mutters. He stares at the wall in shock and fear.

Aki slowly sits beside him. ''It's okay, Tenma,'' she says softy.

Tenma shakes his head. ''It's… it's not…'' he hides his face in his hands, one thought running through his head.

 _Haru…_

* * *

 **I can't believe I just wrote that.**

 **This is so… Oh come on, I mean, experimenting on human mind manipulation and memory filtering? Where do I get those ideas? Just… wow.**

 **Well, this is the fourth chapter. Hope you guys liked it~!**

 **And, really, three chapters in one day? I've been writing for, like… eight hours or something? I'm serious. Every chapter took about two and a half hours to write… hahaha… yeah… Believe me when I say that I do, for a fact, have a personal life. 'Cause, I really do, I'm just not… the offline-me just didn't have anything to do, so yeah, online-me decided to take her place. By writing three chapters. In one day. Yeah. Wow. Okay, I'll just go now.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Yara Meijer~**


	6. Finally Reuniting

**Hey everyone, missed me?**

 **Wow, I have so much inspiration right now! I think I know exactly how this story will continue, but then my mind comes up with another twist, and it turns out really different than I thought. Or not, there are just more details.**

 **Anyway, onto the reviews~**

 _ **do your best**_ **: He does? Tsurugi is really hard to write. One time, he seems too col dans serious, and the other, he's too nice. And yeah, I just had to add Taiyou. It just felt right. About the Chrono Storm thing? Yeah, I know. The Raimon moments will come in the next chapter and the ones after that. This is actually the point where they get 'back together'. And I don't think I'll be a good romance writer, at least, not yet~ And no problem~**

 _ **Sai Og Sus**_ **: I know what you mean. My writing is very off-balanced. If I compare this with my other works (the ones I don't publish), this one is pretty good. Right now, I am mostly focusing on the details, because that's where I normally go wrong, but in some scenes, especially the ones where they talk, I still think that it's not good enough. And the white and blue thing, really? Oh, come on! I can't believe I didn't notice that. Ugh. I blame it on the time. I write these chapters at a time I can't think right anymore~ Anyway, thanks for reviewing.**

 _ **Hey (Guest)**_ **: Wow. That's a lot of text. First: Have fun! Second: from the ideas I have in my head right now, kidnapping is one of the most normal ones. Really~**

 _ **Lotus Sword**_ **: Hey there, Att-chan~! I wonder, have you read all the chapters already? No matter, it's kind of different from** _ **Living Shadow**_ **, huh? I mean the tempo in which I write chapters. I think I know why. You see, my other story has too many rules. For my idea to work, there were a lot of things I could and couldn't do, and for a first-time writer like me, it wasn't really a good combination. But I think I'll start writing chapters for** _ **Living Shadow**_ **again soon. Shindou and Tsurugi, huh? Well, you don't have to wait long! In the next chapters, Raimon will reunite~! (Always wanted to say that). Kanashimi? Yep, I did. It means 'sadness' or 'sorrow' and I thought it was a fitting name for them. So yeah, I choose it on purpose~! Thank you, thank you, I'm trying~**

 _ **AmyGolden1104**_ **: Hey there! Well, I'm not sure if you were the first one to notice, but you were the first one to comment on it. Thinking about soccer is indeed a part of it, but it's a bit more complicated. You'll see later~ And Haru plays an important role! The request/order is not like that. Actually, Haru doesn't know anything about Tenma's sickness. But it will be revealed within the next three, four chapters. You'll see~**

 _ **Nomadic Defender**_ **: Hahaha… yeah… I'm rushing. I definetly am. I guess it's because I write chapters late (yeah, Yara, keep writing in the middle of the night. Great idea). Once I finish them, I just don't feel like reading them again. I also blame it on Word. Just a little bit. You see, my Word is in another language, and the spellingcontrole has a mind of its own. I swear. No, it automatically corrects the 'wrong' words sometimes, and I can't turn it off because it comes in handy for school projects… and I don't know how~! Aha, Tenma and Aoi, huh? Well, this is something I just came up with, about two hours ago. Maybe you'll understand it bette rafter you read this chapter, but… Well, she, and the rest of Raimon, hurt Tenma pretty badly. And of course there's a twist which I'm not going to reveal just yet, which also plays an important role~**

 **Well, anyway, let's start with the story, shall we?**

 **Oh, almost forgot! I don't own~!**

* * *

 _Aki hesitates. ''The coach of Kanashimi and the director, are twins. Their past is… it's full of secrets, but they used to be soccer players. Also, the past few years, they've been doing illegal things, though it never has been proved.''_

 _Tenma lookes at her, surprise and suspense evident in his gaze. ''What kind of illegal things?'' he asks quietly._

 _Aki hesitates again. ''Experimenting on human mind manipulation and memory filtering. We believe… that they might be experimenting on… on the soccer players.''_

 _Tenma's eyes widen, fear evident in his eyes. ''No way…'' he mutters. He stares at the wall in shock and fear._

 _Aki slowly sits beside him. ''It's okay, Tenma,'' she says softy._

 _Tenma shakes his head. ''It's… it's not…'' he hides his face in his hands, one thought running through his head._

 _Haru…_

* * *

A boy with red hair is walking through the streets of Inazuma Town. He doesn't really notice where he is going, just walking around in thought. The redhead sighs, and looks around. He is standing in an abandoned street, no living soul to see. The boy looks at his watch, noticing it's still morning. That explains it. All the adults are at work, and the children and teenagers are at school.

The boy is about to walk away, when he hears a familiar voice. ''Haru? What are you doing?''

Said boy turns around, surprise evident on his features. His eyes lock on a certain brunet with greyish blue eyes, who is looking at him with a smile. ''Tenma! Hey…'' Haru smiles at his friend. Then, he frowns. ''Wait, aren't you supposed to be in school?''

The brunet laughs sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. ''Yeah… I haven't been feeling well the last few days, so Aki is keeping me home. She asked me to buy groceries for her, and because I'm feeling better this morning, I decided to go now,'' he explains. Then, he eyes his friend curiously. ''But you haven't answered my previous question. What are you doing here?''

This time, Haru is the one who laughs sheepishly. ''Ehh… Well… I kind of decided to take a walk, and now I'm kind of… lost?'' it's more a question than an answer. Tenma sweatdrops, and the boys stand in awkward silence for a few seconds.

Then, Tenma smiles brightly. ''Guess it's a good thing I bumped into you then. What do you say, wanna buy groceries with me?'' he asks his friend, and the redhead nods with a smile. ''Well then, let's go!''

The two boys start walking, chattering about everything they can think about. After buying the groceries, they just walk around town, until Haru suddenly stops.

Tenma, who was in the middle of telling a story, turns around to look at the redhead. ''Uh… Haru? Is something wrong?'' he asks, but the redhead keeps staring at something to the right. Tenma follows his gaze, and a surprised look takes over his features, before he smiles brightly. ''A candy store? Want to take a look inside?''

Haru turns around. ''Really? It's not a problem?'' he asks excited. Tenma shakes his head, smiling at his friend who is acting like a little kid. ''Come on, let's go!'' Haru grabs Tenma's arm and drags him towards the sweetshop.

When they're inside, they're surprised by all the sweets. Everywhere you can look, there are pots with candies and all kind of other sweet stuff. The two gape when they see the world of sweets they just entered, and Haru's eyes begin to sparkle like the eyes of a child in a… well, a candy store. Tenma looks on, amused. ''You like candy, Haru?''

The boy nods without looking at the brunet, still gaping. Then, he makes a dash for the nearest shaft with candies and sweets. The next half hour, the redhead inspects the entire shop. They end up buying two bags full of sweets, with Haru smiling brighter than the sun the entire time. The two boys then exit the shop, and walk towards the riverside where they first met. They sit down, and talk a bit more while eating candies.

Then, Haru takes something out of his pocket. It turns out to be a red cell phone, and Tenma raises an eyebrow. ''What's your number? Maybe we can meet up, instead of just bumping into each other,'' he says. Tenma smiles, and nods.

They talk for hours, while walking through Inazuma town. Then, Tenma asks the question that's been bothering since this morning. ''Ne, Haru? Why do you like sweets so much?'' he asks his friend curiously.

Haru's smile softens, a nostalgic glance in his eyes. ''I told you about my sister, didn't I?'' Tenma nods, and Haru continues. ''Well, she loves sweets and candies, and she always gave me a candy when I was feeling down. It was not much, but it always cheered me up, you know? Everytime I ate a candy, I thought of my sister. And after she got in the hospital, I continued to eat candies, and tell her about them later. She always smiled so brightly… so, candies have a special meaning for me.'' his soft smile turns to a grin. ''And I guess I'm just a sweet tooth.''

Tenma smiles at him. ''I see… so the way to cheer you up is to give you a candy?'' he asks his friend, who nods and smiles. The two boys continue on their way, until late in the afternoon. When the two decide to say goodbye for the day, Tenma gives his friend an innocent smile while voicing a question that makes Haru pale.

''Ne, can I use candy as blackmail?''

* * *

In the meantime, an awkward silence engulfs the ex-Raimon soccer players, who are gathered at the inside soccer field of Raimon. No one speaks a word, everybody keeping to his own thoughts. Shindou, who is standing next to Kirino, frowns while looking at the other Raimon students.

The boy sighs, and decides to break the silence. ''So… coach Endou called all of us to meet up here?'' he asks awkwardly, while looking at the group. Some of the boys shift a bit when they hear his voice for the first time in weeks.

''Who are you, Sherlock Holmes?'' asks a voice, filled with sarcasm. Everyone turns around to look at a certain light haired forward. Kurama rolls his eyes. ''Of course he did. Do you think we would gather here for any other reason? Seriously,'' he says, an annoyed tone in his voice.

Kirino takes a step forward. ''Hey! Shidou hasn't done anything wrong, so-'' he says, angrily, before he is cut off by a certain wavy haired Raimon student.

Shindou sighs. He should have expected this reaction to his question, especially from Kurama. He knows that the other boy isn't really annoyed with him, but just doesn't know how to act towards his old friends after _that_. ''Stop it, Kirino. This isn't the time to fight.''

The others look at him curiously. Kirino frowns, while turning to look at his friend. ''What do you mean, Shindou?'' he asks, still frowning.

Shindou smiles weakly. ''Well… if coach Endou called all of us here, it must be serious, right? He wouldn't call us here for no good reason. And fighting isn't going to help,'' he says, looking sharply at each of his ex-teammates. This is also why he is the first one to notice something, or rather, _someone_ , missing. ''Hey, has anyone seen Matsukaze?''

His question is answered with stunned silence. After a few moments, the rest of the old team looks around, trying to spot their ex-captain. Aoi takes a step forward, and hesitates for a moment. ''Te… He wasn't at school today. I haven't seen him since… last week, I guess,'' she answers softly, and everyone looks at her.

Shindou frowns. ''What do you mean? Are you saying that he's still sick?'' he asks their ex-manager, a worried tone in his voice.

Kirino takes a step forward, but this time there is a look of concern on his face, his blue eyes looking at Shindou and Aoi. ''But… Matsukaze never stays sick that long, right? I mean, he's never been gone longer than two days. So whatever it is, it must be serious.''

Before anyone can give a reaction, a voice interrups them. ''He will join us later today.'' The students turn around to look at the three man who just appeared on the field. Endou walks forward, followed by Gouenji and Kidou.

''Coach Endou, Gouenji-san and Kidou-san… what is this all about? And what do you mean, he will join us later today?'' Shindou asks, looking at his old coach and his friends. The three have just reached them, and Endou studies them for a moment.

Then he smiles, a small, tired smile that doesn't suit him. ''Hello, everyone. I see everyone is here. To answer your questions, we, the original Raimon eleven and our friends, need your help. It's… about Kanashimi.'' Protests ring through the gym, and Endou holds up a hand to stop them. ''If our suspicions are correct, this is not only about you. The Kanashimi players need your help.''

Shindou frowns. ''Why? What do they need our help for?'' he asks his coach, who sighs.

Kidou is the one who answers. ''Human experimenting.'' A shocked silence falls over the group. ''We'll tell you more later, if you agree to help us. If not, you can leave right now, with the promise of not telling anyone. So, what's your choice?''

Shindou turns to look at his old team. A burning determintation is shining in their eyes, and even though their bonds are broken, he knows exactly what to say. ''We'll help.'' There is a strange tone in his voice, that makes Endou smile. ''What about Matsukaze? Has he agreed to help?''

Endou sighs, but gives a small smile. Kidou looks as his friend and frowns, laying a hand on the shoulder of the other male. Gouenji takes a look at the two, and Kidou gives him a look, before Gouenji answers. ''If he's feeling well enough, he'll come,'' says the white haired forward. ''Any questions?'' he asks, and is met with silence. ''Well, then, let's go.''

* * *

A small smile creeps up the face of a young man, while staring at a few holograms in front of him. The holograms show various things. Two of them contain information about certain people, like heartrate and brainwaves. Another one shows the bus of the Raimon team, on its way to Teikoku Academy. The next one shows a house – which is, at the moment, abandoned – and another hologram shows Raimon Junior High. A bunch of other holograms show other things, but the man isn't paying attention to them.

Soft footsteps break the thick silence that engulfed the room, and another man walks towards the holograms. The first, youngest, man turns around, and sapphire meets sapphire. The first man smiles, and gives a short nod. The other man doesn't have any reaction, but a glance of approval is shown in those sapphire eyes, hidden behind a pair of glasses.

The youngest man turns around again, and starts to talk. ''Raimon's on their way to Teikoku. I've been trying to hack into their base for days, but the security is too strong. What I do know, is that E12 just entered the school. E11 is currently in his room, doing homework.'' The man turns around, and looks at the other with narrowed eyes. ''Nii-san, every time they meet, their brainwaves get more and more in sync. The experiment is progressing faster and better than we ever imagined.''

The other male smiles, his first expression since he appeared. ''I see… interesting. What are the symptoms?'' he asks his younger brother, who turns back to the holograms.

He studies them for a moment, before answering. ''Strong emotion or pain, memory sharing, but that's still developing, and manipulation, even if they don't notice it. I believe that they will develop a shared emotional link, mixed memories, mind-reading abilties, maybe even a telepathic link, and I'm not sure of the rest, but it's very promising. Maybe they'll even be able to influence body movements. The first 67% of the experiment is completed, the chemicals have mixed with their natural bloodflow and have attached to their blood and braincells. We picked very good test subjects, nii-san.''

The other male smiles again. ''Yes, we did, Jirou. How is E12 currently doing? Are you still monitoring his actions?'' Ishikawa Kazuo asks, and he looks at his brother expectantly.

Ishikawa Jirou's smile falters, looking back at the holograms. ''He's resisting, but it's getting less. E11 is influencing him too much, and the chemicals are acting at a higher speed. They'll soon be worked out of his system, but at the rate it's going now, the experiment will be completed by then,'' he says, and frowns. ''However, I don't know how the events of today will effect him. We've been lucky so far, the chemicals haven't been found yet, but I'm not sure how long we can keep it a secret.''

Kazuo frowns, and curses under his breath. ''Well, nothing to do about that. We just have to pray that they won't find out just yet. After the chemicals have been infiltrated for 80% it will be too long. And right now they've taken over…'' he looks at one of the holograms, ''about 74% of the body. And E11? Is he still resisting?''

Jirou rolls his eyes and sighs. ''Ugh, he is so stubborn. He's barely listening to us anyway – I'm sure that he'll stab us in the back, the first chance he gets, the brat,'' he mutters. ''What should we do? Threathen him again?''

Kazuo shakes his head. ''No. He's already suspecting us, if we threathen him now, he's never going to listen. I want more cameras, and make sure our… plan B is ready for use. I'm afraid we might need it sooner than we think. E12 is influencing him too, but not in the way we would like.'' Kazuo finishes talking, and takes a look at his brother. ''Good work, otouto.''

Jirou nods, and his brother turns to leave the room. The youngest turns his gaze back to the holograms, a small smile appearing on his face.

* * *

The ride to Teikoku Academy is one filled with awkwardness. Kirino ans Shindou are talking quietly, but the others are very silent – which is strange, considering it's the Raimon Eleven. Or at least, the old Raimon Eleven.

But, well, what can they say? They haven't talked to each other in weeks, and now they suddenly have to help the people who are to blame for their problems. And, not to mention, the one who usually breaks the awkwardness is nowhere to be seen.

Endou is looking at his old team in worry. Gouenji, who notices his concern, places a hand on his arm. The dark haired player turns around to look at Gouenji, who gives him a reassuring smile. ''It's going to take a while before we reach Teikoku. Get some rest, Endou, I'll call you when we've arrived.'' The coach hesitates for a while longer, but then sighs and closes his eyes, relaxing his stiff body.

* * *

 _Endou is watching in utter shock at the soccer field before him. His players are scattered over the field, each one of them bruised and scratched. The burning determination that he is so familiar with, is almost gone. Endou's eyes turn to look at the scoreboard, and he feels sick when his mind processes the numbers on the board._

 _127 - 0._

 _Before the coach can do anything, his eyes are caught by a certain brunet wearing the captain's band._

 _Slowly, the boy starts to move. He tilts his head to take in the scene before him, his eyes falling on the score. His eyes narrow, and he pushes himself up with his arms._

 _Endou watches on, his mouth falling open, his eyes not leaving the brunet for a second. Everyone can see that the boy is exhausted: he can barely stand, and his legs are shaking. But he isn't giving in._

'' _N-Not… yet…'' he mutters softly. His grey eyes meet another pair of blazing orange eyes. Endou doesn't see what Tenma does, but he does see the affect it has on the boy. He stands a bit straighter, looking… different. Prouder. Stronger._

 _Determined._

'' _Not yet.'' His voice, first so weak, sounds strong over the field. And without any warning, he runs forward, stealing the ball from the red haired player from Kanashimi. The player has a shocked look on his face, but it turns to a determined look after a few seconds._

 _And then, Endou sees something he has never seen before. The two players are running over the field, dribbling. They never hold the ball long: it's like a beautiful dance, filled with grace and determination._

 _It almost looks like the two are… smiling?_

 _Why?_

 _And Endou watches the graceful dance, seeing the fight between the two players._

 _The fresh wind that follows its own path, not being restrained by anything, as its gentle but firm song plays through the darkest of times, and the gentle sunlight that welcomes the new spring and makes everything shine in a new light, as its playful nature brings a smile to even the darkest of people._

 _And the only thing the spectators can do, is watch and wonder, how can two things so alike, be on two different sides?_

 _And the dance between the spring sun and the fresh wind continues, following patterns that no one has ever seen before._

* * *

When Raimon arrives at Teikoku Academy, it looks exactly the same as it did last time. They follow Kidou inside, and Teikoku's commander leads them through the halls of his school. After a few turns, everyone is looking slightly lost – except for Kidou, who's still leading him through the building like it's his own house.

They don't see anyone on their way, which is not very surprising, considering it's after school and everyone has already left, or is busy with club activities. Soon, they follow Kidou in the elevator. Silence returns once again, as they are about to return to the place they haven't seen in forever.

The elevator doors open, and the old Raimon team is greeted with the sight of the old Inazuma Japan and a few others. For a few moment, nobody moves, and then the old Raimon notices another person. The silence is still there, as the adults look between the old Raimon and the lonely figure, who has his back turned to his old friends.

The silence stays in place for a few moments longer, before Shindou takes a hesitant step forward. His eyes are directed at the younger boy, standing a few feet away from him. ''Tenma?'' asks the wavy haired game maker. His ex-team sends him shocked looks when they hear him use the first name of their old captain.

The boy stiffens, and the students know why. They know why the brunet has been avoiding them, know why they were so worried about him but didn't say something.

After all, they hurt him the most.

The brunet slowly turns around, very, very slowly, like an invisible force is trying to stop him. The ex-Raimon members are shocked to see how pale their friend is, and they see the wary look in those grey eyes. And when the ex-captain finally faces his entire team after almost a month of not talking, he doesn't smile. His voice is emotionless when he answers. ''Hello, senpai, everyone.''

* * *

 **And there you have it. This chapter turned out to be very different from what I had in mind. The scene of the Ishikawa twins just suddenly popped up, and then the scene in the bus… especially Endou's dream. And, well, I just had to write the last scene like that.**

 **Wow, I really surprised myself with this. Just… wow.**

 **Anyway, I'll try to upload the next chapter tomorrow, but I'm not sure if I'll have the time. Anyway, you can probably expect the next chapter in the next three days~**

 **Yara Meijer~**


	7. Raimon Reformed

**And I'm back~! Missed me?**

 **First, I want to tell you guys something important: I am going to write even more about chemicals and brainwaves and all that, and you can assume that everything I write here is nonsense. I've done some basic research, and I don't think that what I'm going to write is even possible. So, all the science stuff written here is made up. Just so you guys know, but you probably already figured that out on your own.**

 **Anyway, are there other things I need to tell you guys?**

 **Yeah, I've been publishing chapters every single day for the past week. Well, I want to continue my update tempo, but I'm not sure if I can for the next three days. After that, I have enough time to update (except for Sunday, I'm not sure about that either. Maybe if I write a chapter on Saturday and publish it Sunday, but we'll see).**

 **I guess that's everything, but here are the reviews~**

 _ **do your best**_ **: Thank you, thank you, I'm trying~**

 _ **Tsundere Tomato**_ **: I just have to say it: awesome name. Kirino, Shindou and Tenma will be more in the next few chapters, so look forward to it~**

 _ **AmyGolden1104**_ **: Hey there! Haha, you're right about that. In this chapter, it'll be really obvious, so no use hiding it~! Yeah, Tenma is my favourite character, too. And yep, it's really logical. Yeah, I couldn't help myself. Actually, it gave me an idea for a new story when this one is finished. The first chapter will be about Gouenji and ducks. Lots and lots of ducks *evil grin* sorry, I'm getting off topic. Anyway, the experiment~ hahaha it's one of the things I can't wait to write about. Oh, this is gonna be sooooo much fun *evil grin grows* Okay that pre-SSC thing is brilliant, but no. They have nothing to do with this~ but yeah that experiment is gonna give Raimon so much trouble and will be so much fun for me~! Well, wouldn't want to keep you waiting any longer!**

 **Oh yeah, I don't own Inazuma Eleven, Go, Chrono Stone or Galaxy. I only own my OCs~**

 **Enjoy~!**

 **Last chapter:**

 _The silence stays in place for a few moments longer, before Shindou takes a hesitant step forward. His eyes are directed at the younger boy, standing a few feet away from him. ''Tenma?'' asks the wavy haired game maker. His ex-team sends him shocked looks when they hear him use the first name of their old captain._

 _The boy stiffens, and the students know why. They know why the brunet has been avoiding them, know why they were so worried about him but didn't say something._

 _After all, they hurt him the most._

 _The brunet slowly turns around, very, very slowly, like an invisible force is trying to stop him. The ex-Raimon members are shocked to see how pale their friend is, and they see the wary look in those grey eyes. And when the ex-captain finally faces his entire team after almost a month of not talking, he doesn't smile. His voice is emotionless when he answers. ''Hello, senpai, everyone.''_

* * *

When Hiroto walks in with the news that Raimon is on their way, Tenma feels himself freeze. It gets a little harder to breathe, and the headache returns. It's not much, but Tenma notices it anyway. Luckily, nobody is paying attention to him.

The moment Raimon enters the building, Tenma immediately knows it. He pales, and the headache grows worse. The brunet closes his eyes, trying to calm himself, taking deep breaths. The next ten minutes, he tries to relax and ignore the pain in his head. When he hears the elevator doors open, he ignores the urge to turn around and look at the new arrivals. He already knows who it is, anyway. And when the silence continues, he's sure about it.

Someone takes a step forward, breaking the thick silence. The brunet hears a hesitant voice. ''Tenma?'' it asks quietly. The ex-captain can't help himself, and he feels his body stiffen.

Ever so slowly, almost scared to see them, he turns to look at his old team. He observes them for a moment. Shindou is the one closest to him, the others right behind him. They all wear their school uniform, and look exactly as he remembers them. Well, almost. The normal smiles on their faces are gone, replaced by worried looks.

Tenma forces himself to keep his voice steady, not giving away his real feelings. ''Hello, senpai, everyone,'' he says softly. The tension in the room disappears a bit, and the silence is broken by the adults.

Hiroto is the one who explains their situation. ''As you already know, we believe that there is more to Kanashimi than we first thought. The director and the coach are twins, who used to be soccer players and later, scientists. They suddenly disappeared from the spotlight, we don't know why. Then, they started Kanashimi Junior High. But we have reason to believe that those two are still working on their last project – Human experimenting on mind manipulation and memory filtering. And all signs show us that they are experimenting on real humans, probably the students and the members of the soccer team.'' Shouts of shocked surprise fill the room.

Tenma stared at the redhead in disbelief, along with the other students. After a moment, Shindou frowns. ''But if this is true, how can we help? You said you wanted us to help, right?'' he asks, looking at the adults in the room.

Endou nods. ''Yes. We're not sure what effect the experimenting has, and from the looks of it, we need more information.'' The ex-Raimon frowns. ''By hacking their main base. But we can only do that if their hacker isn't there – that guy is really annoying.''

Tsurugi looks at him questionly. ''Hacker?'' he asks, and Endou laughs sheepishly.

Kidou sighs and turns to look at the dark haired forward. ''Yes, hacker. Also known as Ishikawa Jirou. He has been trying to hack into our main base for days, and we've been trying to hack them. But no matter what we do, we can't get through. He keeps an eye on everything. And that's where you come in. If Kanashimi plays a match, the coach has to be there. And what better than letting them play against the Raimon Eleven?'' his suggestion is answered with stunned silence.

Kariya frowns, and looks at the adults in the room. ''So, let me get this straight. You want us, the old Raimon Eleven who all quit soccer, to reform and play against Kanashimi, the team that crushed us the last time we played against them, well you guys hack their main base during our match?'' A nod is his answer, and the boy glares at the adults. ''Aren't you forgetting something? Like, the fact that our Keshin and Mixi-Max are _gone_? We have no idea what happened last time! Why should we play now, without Keshin and Mixi-Max?''

Kirino looks at Kariya in deep thought, before he speaks up. ''Ano…'' Kariya turns around to look at the pink haired defender. ''Actually, it makes sense. We don't know what those experiments did to the players, and it could have an effect on our Keshin and Mixi-Max. And I think we've been looking at this too easy. We thought our Keshin disappeared, right?'' he looks at his old team, and the Keshin users nod. ''What if… what if it's only temporarily? Like, they absorbed the energy we need for Keshin and Mixi-Max, and it's slowly coming back or something?''

Hiroto frowns. ''What do you mean, temporarily? It is possible, but what gave you that idea?'' he asks the pink haired defender.

The boy shrugs. ''Well, I don't think you can erase a Keshin. There are a lot of different Keshin, right? It's a part of who you are, and I don't think someone can steal that. And… since a while now, I've been feeling my Keshin return. First, I wasn't sure, but now…'' he looks at his handpalm, before looking at the others again. ''I can _feel_ my Keshin. And my Mixi-Max. Whatever it is that happened to us, it's not permanent.''

From the looks of the other Keshin users, they agree with Kirino. Endou frowns. ''What about your Souls?'' he asks the three Galaxy Eleven members.

Tsurugi and Shindou share a look, before they turn to face their coach again. Tsurugi frowns. ''I hadn't really noticed before, but it disappeared, just like my Keshin and Mixi-Max. But now… I think Kirino-senpai is right. I can feel the energy of my Soul, but it's still weak. Too weak to use it,'' he tells the older male.

Shindou nods, and Endou turns around to look at the brunet. ''What about you, Tenma? Has your Soul returned yet?'' the brunet nods, and on Endou's face appears a relieved smile. ''Good. That means we still have a chance. And by the way, you didn't really think we would simply send you back on the field, right?'' his words are met with confused looks, and the coach grins before he turns serious again. ''First things first. Are you going to reform the Raimon Eleven? I already got the okay from the principal, but this is a choice all of you have to make individually.''

Shindou frowns. ''How long do we get to decide?'' he asks the dark haired coach.

Said man looks at the wavy haired player. ''Well, we want your answer tomorrow. Is that enough time?'' he asks the old team, and they nod.

* * *

That evening, Tenma is in his room, lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling. He sighs, and turns to look at Sasuke, who's sleeping soundly on the ground. The brunet sighs again, and his gaze falls on the old soccer ball that saved him so many years ago. ''Should I…?'' Before he can continue, a sharp pain shoots through his head.

A few minutes pass, and the silence is broken by a ringing phone. Tenma grabs his phone and looks at the caller I.D. ''Haru…?'' he mutters, and shrugs before he picks up.

''Hello?'' he asks.

A second later, he hears the whining voice of his red haired friend. _''Tenma! I'm out of candy!''_

Tenma sweatdrops. ''Err… is that the reason why you called?'' he asks.

When Haru answers, his voice sounds serious. _''No, I just had a strange feeling, so I decided to call you. Are you alright?''_

The brunet sighs. ''Haru? Will you please answer me honestly?''

'' _Sure. What is it?''_

''Do… do you like soccer?''

Haru keeps silent for a long time, and just when Tenma wants to ask if the redhead is still there, he answers. _''If you asked me that question two years ago, I wouldn't have to think about the answer. I would tell you about how amazing soccer is. But… I'm not that person anymore. If you asked me that question two months ago, I would tell you 'no'. But right now, my answer isn't any of those two.''_

Tenma frowns. ''Then, what changed?''

He hears Haru sigh, and when he answers, there's an amused tone in his voice. _''You did.''_

Wait, what? ''What do you mean?'' asks the brunet surprised.

Haru chuckles. _''Haven't you realized it yet? You're the wind that makes everyone realize how much fun playing soccer is. You've been doing it all this time, Tenma. You've been running forward, taking everyone with you, no matter how hard they struggled. Has no one ever told you that before?''_

Tenma hesitates for a moment. ''Well, they did, but… wait, are you making fun of me?''

'' _Of course not. I'm completely serious,''_ Haru says, and his voice doesn't leave any room for argument. _''People told you before, and I'm telling you again. You're the wind that blows away all the darkness. If you asked me two months ago if I liked soccer, my answer would be no. But then I played against Raimon. Do you remember, Tenma? What happened on the field?''_

The brunet falls silence, eyes widening when he remembers his last match. ''We… we had fun…''

'' _Yes. Even if it didn't last long, you made me remember why I loved soccer so much. And then, when I met you later… you just have that kind of effect on people, Tenma. Remember why you joined Raimon. Remember why you became the captain. Remember why you wanted to beat Fifth Sector. I've seen it all, Tenma. You truly are the wind that stirs up the revolution. If you remember all those things… then you will surely find your answer. You will remember why you love soccer so much. Just like I did.''_

Tenma listens on in shock. ''H-Haru… thank you.''

Haru's tone softens. _''You're welcome, Tenma. I don't know what's bothering you, but if you follow your heart, it will be okay.''_

Tenma smiles. ''Yeah. It's going to be okay.''

'' _Definetly. And Tenma?''_

''Yes?'' answers the brunet.

Haru hesitates for a moment, before continuing. _''I wanted to thank you.''_

Tenma frowns. ''What for?'' he asks in confusion.

The redhead chuckles. _''For forgiving me.''_ Tenma's eyes widen. He stares at the opposite wall in shock. _Forgive?_ He feels something warm on his cheeks. _''Tenma?''_ asks Haru's worried voice.

''I… I'm here…'' the brunet whispers softly.

'' _Wait, are you crying?''_

Tenma shakes his head and smiles, even though the other can't see him. ''Thank you, Haru. You just made me remember something very important.''

Haru's voice sounds confused. _''And that is?''_

Tenma's smile softens. ''That I need to forgive.''

* * *

The next morning is a Saturday. The Raimon students arrive at the main base, where they meet up with Tenma, who came with Aki. When he sees the group, the brunet gives them a small smile. ''Good morning.''

Shindou shares a look with Tsurugi. Well, that's different. Yesterday, he looked like he didn't want to talk to them, and now he's smiling like the Tenma they used to know. Definetly different. ''Err… Good morning. Did something happen?'' he asks the other.

Tenma's smile softens a bit. ''Hai.''

Endou, who is standing a few feet away, talking with Gouenji and Hiroto, turns around and walks toward the group. ''Good morning, everyone. I guess everyone has an answer?'' the brown haired coach asks, and smiles at the group, who nods. ''Okay, let's hear it.''

One by one, the players agree to help. Some of them are hesitant at first, but when they see how the others agree, they decide to fight too. Finally, there are only three people left. Endou turns to look at them. ''Tsurugi? Shindou? Tenma? What about you?'' he asks the three boys.

Tsurugi and Shindou both look at Tenma, who is looking at the ground. After a few seconds, he looks up, a burning determination shining in his greyish blue eyes. ''I'll help.''

Without realizing it, the people in the room let out a sigh of relief. Endou's gaze falls on Tsurugi and Shindou, who both nod, and the coach smiles. ''Good. Then, hereby, I officially declare that the Raimon Junior High soccer club is reformed.'' He stops a moment. ''You all haven't played for the past month, I assume?'' the members of the newly reformed Raimon team shake their heads. ''Well, nothing to do about that. The first thing we're going to do, is train.''

Gouenji joins the conversation. ''And we've been able to get some help.'' He smiles confidently.

Shindou frowns. ''Help? What kind of help?''

Endou grins. ''Well, for example, some of the schools you played before. And by the way, with the help of Gouenji we managed to arrange our new training fields.'' He is met with confused looks. ''You have to be ready for anything, so what is a better place than the old Holy Road stadiums?''

* * *

''Damn it! How could this happen?'' Ishikawa Kazuo curses, looking at the holograms. His face is contorted in anger, his sapphire blue eyes blazing with rage. ''Damn it all! Tell me, Jirou, what happened?!'' He turns his angry gaze towards his brother.

The younger shakes his head. ''I have no idea, nii-san. One moment, everything is going great, and the next, the process in E12's body has been stopped. This shouldn't even be possible! We almost had him, and suddenly, he's resisting again. Something must've influenced him to fight back,'' says the younger.

Kazuo curses again. ''Yesterday afternoon, huh? I want a report about everything that happened since yesterday afternoon and the moment you noticed the change.''

Jirou nods. ''Give me ten minutes.''

Ten minutes later, the two are looking at a few documents. Kazuo's frown deepens with every word he reads. When he's done, he stays silent for a long time, before sighing. ''So it has something to do with E11. Should've known. If we didn't need the brat for our experiment, I would've gotten rid of him long ago.'' The older twin glares at the screen which shows E11's progress. ''So, after that call, E11 managed to shake E12 awake. Jirou, I want you to make an excuse to keep E11 from contacting E12. About E12, I want you to keep a close eye on the progress. Give him more chemicals if needed. And keep me updated.''

His younger twin nods. ''Got it. What about the adults?'' he asks the other. Rage burns in his sapphire eyes, and the younger takes a few moments to calm down.

Kazuo narrows his eyes for a moment. ''Still can't hack their main base?'' he asks his brother, who shakes his head. ''And you can't get a reading on their current location… I've got to admit, I didn't see this coming. You played this turn very well, Kidou Yuuto…''

The younger twin looks up at his brother in surprise. ''How do you know that Kidou is responsible for this?'' he asks the other.

Kazuo rolls his eyes. ''That bastard is a game maker. He is the one who allowed Teikoku to be used as headquarters, and I'm sure that he is one of the main people to think of what to do. And I could recognize his work anywhere – even after all those years, I can still remember what he used to play like. Those tactics… yes, this is definetly Kidou's work. Gouenji Shuuya is playing a big role, too, he has a lot of influence in the soccer world. Then, you have the worst of them all, Endou Mamoru,'' he spats the name out in disgust, ''who is very famous and knows how to make the impossible possible. And, I've got to admit, he is pretty smart for an idiot like him.'' Kazuo pauses for a moment. ''Of course, there are other important factors – Kiyama Hiroto, Midorikawa Ryuuji, Fudou Akio, Kazemaru Ichirouta, Kudou Michiya and all those other bastards. They are all responsible for this.''

Jirou smiles a cold smile. ''And we'll finish the job we couldn't do back then. We'll _crush_ them, along with that little team of theirs, using their own weapons against them.''

''Exactly.'' Kazuo smile is a perfect replica of the cruel smile on Jirou's face, as the twins continue to watch the holograms.

* * *

''You managed to get the help of Teikoku Academy, Hakuren, Kidokawa Seishuu, Genei Academy, Arakumo Academy _and_ Seidouzan? How did you- you know what, I don't even want to know,'' says Shindou, while looking at the six teams in front of the Raimon Eleven.

Endou grins. ''Well, yeah. Teikoku is Kidou's team, Hakuren is Fubuki's team, Kidokawa Seishuu is coached by Afuro, Mahoro and Amemiya managed to manipulate their coaches into helping us, and Seidouzan is Gouenji's team. And by the way, they still want to get revenge for being beaten by you,'' says Endou, still with a big smile on his face.

The Raimon Eleven sweatdrops. ''M-Manipulate?'' mutters Tenma, and Taiyou grins at him.

The seven teams and their coaches are standing in the Paradise Stadium where the final match of Holy road was played. They got here immediately after Endou announced that they were going to train, and were surprised to see the other six teams they played in the Holy Road standing in the stadium.

Kidou is the one who continues. ''There are four different training plans. In the first one, you will be split into six different groups, who will all train with different teams. In the second one, you will be trained as a team, training under different coaches and teams, in the third, you will play matches, and in the fourth and last one, you and the other teams will be split into different groups, training together. Those groups are based on skills, positions, and more. The Keshin and Mixi-Max users will be trained by the Keshin and Mixi-Max users from other teams. For the Souls, we are still working on that. Anyway, we won't tolerate slacking off, and I can promise that the training will be hard. We don't have much time. Good luck, Raimon.''

And the training from hell begins.

* * *

 **Didn't see that coming, did ya? The other teams making an appearance. Well, I couldn't help myself~**

 **Anyway, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. I hope that the next chapter will be up by tomorrow, but like I said, I don't have much time. I have an important test the day after tomorrow, but luckily for you guys, I finished all my homework already, so if I finish learning early, I might be able to write a new chapter.**

 **Until next time!**

 **Yara Meijer~**


	8. Training from Hell

**Hey, I'm back!**

 **Sorry for the wait, but this chapter was really hard to write. And school has been killing me. Sorry!**

 **Reviews~!**

 _ **do your best:**_ **Thank you! Hope you enjoy this one!**

 _ **AmyGolden1104:**_ **Well, their reactions will come later. After all, Haru doesn't know about the reformed Raimon! But Haru will play, trust me~! And he will not try to make his team lose, the Ishikawa twins won't let that happen! The next chapter will focus more on their 'bond', so look forward to it! About the homework? Yeah, I know. School's really hard on me too T-T**

 _ **hey:**_ **Hi! Thanks! Here's the next chapter! Sadly, I will have to tell you that I am no longer alive. I am merely a ghost who took over the body of an unsuspecting girl to take over the world. So, sadly, no, I am not alive. ;)**

 _ **Lyra Mae Rose:**_ **Thank you!**

 _ **Lotus Sword:**_ **Thanks, I'm doing my best. I like Haru too~! Nope, you're not talking nonsense, but there is an even bigger reason~! Hahaha, the brain manupilation works through chemicals that are infected in the blood, so, nope, no brain surgery. Smart, though, gotta give you that. Well, the science is pure nonsense, trust me, but I'm trying to make it as believable as possible. Clearly, it's working! Thank you!**

* * *

 _The seven teams and their coaches are standing in the Paradise Stadium where the final match of Holy road was played. They got here immediately after Endou announced that they were going to train, and were surprised to see the other six teams they played in the Holy Road standing in the stadium._

 _Kidou is the one who continues. ''There are four different training plans. In the first one, you will be split into six different groups, who will all train with different teams. In the second one, you will be trained as a team, training under different coaches and teams, in the third, you will play matches, and in the fourth and last one, you and the other teams will be split into different groups, training together. Those groups are based on skills, positions, and more. The Keshin and Mixi-Max users will be trained by the Keshin and Mixi-Max users from other teams. For the Souls, we are still working on that. Anyway, we won't tolerate slacking off, and I can promise that the training will be hard. We don't have much time. Good luck, Raimon.''_

 _And the training from hell begins._

* * *

Raimon has been divided into pairs of three, with two groups of two people. The groups are divided over the different schools, where they will train for two days before moving on to another school. Hamano and Tenma are going to Hakuren, Hayami, Aoyama and Kariya are going to Teikoku, Kurumada, Shinsuke and Sangoku are going to Arakumo, Shindou, Nishiki and Hikaru are going to Kidokawa Seishuu, Tsurugi, Kirino and Kuruma to Seidouzan and Ichino and Amagi to Genei Academy.

The training for the day is simple. Basic training to test how good Raimon is after not playing for a month, and then training everyone individual player on their own skills.

* * *

Tsurugi nods to greet Kirino and Kuruma when they arrive at Paradise Stadium. They are soon greeted by Gouenji and Kurosaki Makoto, captain of Seidouzan. Soon, the five males join the rest of the team inside Paradise Stadium, and Gouenji turns to look at them. ''Welcome, Raimon players. You'll be training with us for the next two days. The training is simple: basic skills to get you back into shape. We'll also try to improve you're individual skills. However, we don't have much time, so I expect to use as much time as possible, from eight in the morning until seven in the evening. We'll have breaks, of course, but right now, we are having a race against the clock.'' The ex-Emperor turns to look at Kirino and Tsurugi. ''Mixi-Max and Keshin training will come later, so don't waste your energy on trying. Kidou said that you're bodies will have to become stronger to endure it, seeing as you haven't been playing.''

They start with the warm-up, and continue with basic training like dribbling, stamina, and scoring. Gouenji is watching from the sidelines, making notes for the other coaches when the players go to another school. Luckily, the three players haven't forgotten their training at Raimon, so they're doing better than Seidouzan expected.

After two hours of doing basic training, they have a break. Gouenji stands up, and everyone turns their attention to the coach. ''Raimon is doing better than I expected. Because of this, we'll have more time to work on their individual skills.'' He pauses for a moment, looking at the notes he's holding. ''Also, Kidou gave me some exercises. He said that they were 'made for every individual Raimon player'… so that's what we'll be doing after the break.''

The moment the Raimon players hear that, they pale. Tsurugi, who's standing a few feet from the Seidouzan players, loses his footing and almost falls on his face. Kurama chokes on his water, and Kirino starts to shake. The Seidouzan players and Gouenji watch on in surprise. ''Err… are you guys okay?'' asks Kurosaki, a bit worried.

''Should've known…'' mutters Tsurugi, glaring at the notes Gouenji is holding, and Kuruma follows his example.

Kirino sweatdrops, and turns to look at the Seidouzan players. He laughs sheepishly. ''Well… coach Kidou has trained us before, with his 'special exercises'… it wasn't pretty.'' The pink haired defender shivers. The Seidouzan players share a look, and turn to look at Gouenji, who just remembers Kidou's 'training' when they were younger… And suddenly he understands the reactions of the Raimon players a lot better.

* * *

Karibe Ranko curses the captain from Arakumo Academy once again – how that boy managed to mainpulate her into helping Raimon, is beyond her. The female coach looks at the Raimon players, who have been training with them since that morning. When she gave them the news of Kidou's training, there were some… interesting reactions.

Sangoku paled, Shinsuke looked ready to faint, and Kurumada… for a moment, she thought he went into shock. Now that she sees the exercises the players are doing, she understands why. Karibe comes to the conclusion that Kidou Yuuto has an interesting choice of training. Definetly.

Coach Karibe turns her gaze to the orange haired boy on the other side of the field, who is keeping an eye on the training of the Raimon players. A few minutes later, said players finish the exercises Kidou gave them, and Taiyou tells them what they should do next. ''You know the trick of Desert Stadium, right? The moving sand. Remember our match?'' the three Raimon players nod, and Taiyou grins. ''Today, we're going to use the sand to our advantage. It will help with your agility, and the Hissatsu Technique from Kanashimi. Once you master this field, you'll be able to withstand Kanashimi much better. The sand works exactly like that technique, after all.'' The three players nod.

The technique Taiyou is talking about, is one of the main strategies from Kanashimi, Unsteady Shadow. When used, it covers the entire field, like a grey shadow. When the players from the other team run on the shadow field, the shadows will start to move, making the players fall. The Kanashimi players, however, are not harmed by this. Unsteady Shadow is a lot like the field of Desert Stadium, so it's the perfect training. Taiyou grins. ''Well, let's begin!''

And for the next few hours, the Raimon players struggle and fight against the sand, falling more than once. When the training is over, they are exhausted but happy, as they managed to get the basics of the sandflow. When Taiyou informs the three that training is over and that they will continue tomorrow, the Raimon players are ready to cry in relief. Until Taiyou grins. ''Tomorrow, the training will be even harder than today, so good luck. You'll need it.''

* * *

Haru is walking through the halls of Kanashimi Junior High. He and his team got back from Inazuma Town yesterday, and training starts today. When the redhead reaches the soccer field, he sees all his teammates. A boy with purple hair and green eyes turns to look at him. ''Hey, Sakaki! You're late!'' calls the boy, and Haru grins sheepishly.

''Sorry, sorry, I lost track of time…'' he looks at the other boy, Shimizu Akio. The other boy scowls, and shakes his head, muttering something about 'annoying underclassmen' and 'don't do it again'. Haru nods. ''Hai, Captain.''

The two walk towards the rest of the team, who are doing warm-ups. Haru joins them with a sigh, falling in the familiar routine. While training, his thoughts drift to his brown haired friend. He has been so busy the last few days, that he didn't have a chance to call Tenma.

The sound of his name breaks Haru out of his thoughts. ''Sakaki!'' a boy with dark hair and greyish purple eyes glares at him. ''You might be our little trump card, but you've gotta work for your place on this fucking team, just like the rest of us. So get your head out of your ass and get some training done, brat!'' says the other in a soft, threatening tone, and Haru nods.

''Hai, Ueno-senpai,'' answers Haru with a strained voice. The boy, Ueno Hiroki, glares at him again before smirking. An insane glint appears in his eyes, and Ueno nods once before walking away, muttering something to himself. Haru sighs, not wanting to know what's going on in the mind of the older boy.

When they take a break, the redhead sits down on the bench, and takes one of the water bottles their managers – Hamasaki Akemi, a girl with long, wavy, dark pink hair and purple eyes, and Fujita Hitomi, a first-year who has dark brown hair and beautiful, reddish pink eyes – have prepared. Haru sighs again, his thoughts going back to the brunet. He wonders what the other is doing right now.

Little does he know that Tenma is currently busy with the 'training from hell'.

* * *

''Ah!'' once again, a certain brunet loses his balance on the slippery field of Snowland Stadium, and falls on the ground. Hamano isn't much better, but the Hakuren players have mastered the Snowland field completely and are smirking at the Raimon players. They might have been able to beat them, but Hakuren is still the master of the field.

Yukimura slides towards the Raimon captain, and extends his hand to him. The brunet smiles, and accepts the help. Yukimura smiles back. ''Don't try to fight it. Use the ice in your advantage. You'll get used to the speed and once you finish this training, you'll be able to move much easier than before. Try to keep your balance, and it will be a lot easier. Like iceskating,'' the Hakuren player explains. ''Here, I'll show you.''

While Tenma is getting help from Yukimura, Hamano loses his balance once again. The blue haired player stands up, and his gaze lands on Yukimura and Tenma. The brunet is improving: he doesn't fall whenever he tries to run, and is starting to use the ice instead of fighting it. His natural dribbling talent is showing when the brunet runs. With the insane dribbling the brunet can do, he has an amazing balance. Hamano focuses on his own training again after he reassures himself that Tenma is in good hands.

Yukimura looks at the brunet with a look of approval in his eyes. After practicing for a while, Tenma is starting to improve. He almost looks like a Hakuren player, with the graceful movements, that once again come from his dribbling talents. The captain is sliding over the field, making unexpected turns to evade the Hakuren players who try to stop him. When the ball hits the net, Yukimura turns to look at his coach, who is smiling at the sight of the brunet, cheering ''I did it!''

Yes, this is going better than expected.

* * *

Yeah, sure. Kariya curses once again under his breath, when Kidou comes up with another one of his exercises. He and the other two Raimon players, Hayami and Aoyama, have been working on their stamina for the past few hours. Even though Kidou told them that the exercises would improve it, Kariya swears that the man is actually a sadist whose only interest is to exhaust them as much as possible.

Grunting, Kariya continues with his exercises. Kidou, who is sitting on the bench, sighs. Why did he have to start with those three again? Oh, yeah, because stamina training would be good for them.

The Teikoku players are enjoying this. They have been waiting for their revenge on Raimon for way too long… even though only one of the three was actually playing during the Teikoku-Raimon match. But that doesn't matter right now. The other players will come soon enough.

They continue to 'train' the Raimon players, with Sakuma and Kidou keeping a close eye on the field. Even though the three Raimon players, especially Kariya, don't see the profit in the training, it is working. The exercises are focusing on every individual player, and after the two days are over, they will be much stronger than when they came.

Kidou smirks when he sees the improvement, and Sakuma allows a small smile to grace his lips while scanning the Raimon players. Everything is going according to plan. And maybe, the two adults are enjoying their revenge against Raimon too – not that they would ever admit it.

* * *

At the second day of the training, Amagi is sitting on the bench during a break, when someone offers him a water bottle. Mahoro smiles at him, and sits down next to the other boy. ''We haven't really had the chance to talk, have we?'' murmurs the Genei captain, and Amagi smiles. ''So, what do you think of the training?''

Amagi sighs and leans back. ''When Coach Kidou first took over as coach, I didn't come to training,'' he says. Mahoro raises an eyebrow. ''I didn't see the point in the exercises, so I didn't show up. After a while, I joined Raimon again in training. Turned out that was the right choice to make – Coach Kidou really knows how to make us stronger. I understand that now, though I still don't like his training exercises. But anyway, I've had worse,'' he mutters the last part darkly.

Mahoro eyes him worriedly. ''The Kanashimi match, huh? I saw it on TV.''

Amagi sighs and nods slowly. ''I expected that, yes.'' He scowls darkly. ''But we'll get our revenge on those Kanashimi bastards, all of them. Raimon is not going to give up so easy!''

''Well said, Amagi-senpai!'' sounds a voice from the right. The two friends turn to look at Ichino, who gives a small smile. ''Raimon won't give up. We can't. That's one thing that Raimon has shown over and over again – we never give up. So Kanashimi should better be prepared,'' says the old captain of the second team.

Amagi nods enthusiastically. ''Right. Raimon will never give up!'' he exclaims, while standing up and punching the air.

While the two Raimon players continue to train, Mahoro smiles softly to himself. The coach, Housuiin Tadanori, joins him. ''I will never understand how Raimon can always be so optimistic. How did I end up agreeing to this again?''

The captain smirks. ''Someone might have blackmailed you into helping Raimon because his friend is part of said school, and because you didn't want anyone to know about that time when you cancelled a match because you were drunk?'' says the boy, and his smirk becomes even bigger when the coach scowls.

''You brat.''

* * *

''Uwaah!'' startled, Hikaru loses his balance when he suddenly stops. The reason? Well, he simply tried to avoid falling into the water that suddenly appeared on the field of the Water World Stadium.

Taki Yoshihiko, the younger member of the Taki brothers, laughs at him when Hikaru almost falls in the water. His brother hits him on the head, and the younger brother cries out. ''Hey'! What did you do that for!'' protests the younger.

Taki Sousuke looks at him sternly. ''We're here to help Raimon, not laugh at them when they make mistakes.'' When his younger brother glares at him, a smirk appears on the Sousuke's face. ''After all, the poor little Raimon players just started training yesterday. We should go easy on them.''

Nishiki glares at them, and an angry mark appears on his forehead. ''Hey! Who should go easy on who? We can beat you in our sleep!'' he yells.

Hikaru smiles sheepishly, while sweatdropping. ''Err… Nishiki-senpai… please calm down...?'' it sounds more like a question, and Nishiki turns his anger towards the younger boy. While Hikaru holds up in his hands in defence, the two Taki brothers stare at them with an amused look on their faces.

''They never change…'' sighs the captain, Kishibe, amused. The two brothers turn to look at him, and have identical grins on their faces.

''Idiots.'' The three turn to look at Afuro, who has been watching the scene from the sidelines. ''Somehow, they remind me a lot of the original Raimon… they always acted like this,'' says the man, and he smiles. ''I guess they take after their predecessors.''

* * *

That evening, the coaches meet up at Teikoku High, while the six teams are left to fend for themselves at the field. After bringing out report of the past two days, the coaches discuss the best course of action. After talking about all the possible actions, they decide on what will happen next.

''So, the next ten days, we'll simply focus on basic and individual training, like Hissatsu techniques en shots, and we'll start with the team training after that?'' says Endou, and the other coaches nod. He turns to look at Kidou. ''How's it going with Kageyama?''

The other male smiles slightly. ''He understands the situation, and is contacting the Earth Eleven as we speak. I have no doubt that they will help Tsurugi, Matsukaze and Shindou with their Souls. How's Amemiya doing?''

Karibe smiles. ''He's been thinking of exercises to bring the Mixi-Max back. I believe he's been making progress, as he has been discussing his ideas with me. He also asked me if I could arrange a meeting between you three,'' she nods towards Kidou, Endou and Gouenji, ''to discuss the training programms. After all, you know Raimon the best.''

Gouenji nods. ''That does make sense. So, that's everything?'' he looks at the other adults.

Fubuki frowns. ''Actually, I'm more worried about the mental state of the Raimon players,'' he says worriedly, and some of the coaches nod.

Endou sighs. ''They're damaged. But they'll just have to overcome it, like they always do.'' His eyes take on a fareaway look. ''They just have to.''

* * *

While the adults are talking about the training, the seven teams are hanging around at the Teikoku field. Everywhere you can see mixed colors from the training jerseys, while the players are talking in small groups. It's a pretty rare sight, because for once, the invisible limitations from the different schools has disappeared.

When Tenma's phone rings, he excuses himself and stands up from the field where he sat previously. Taking his phone from his pocket, he looks at the number and smiles. When he picks up, an excited voice sounds through the speakers.

'' _Tenma~! Did you miss me? Well, did you?''_

Tenma chuckles at the overly excited redhead. ''Yeah. So, why did you call?''

'' _I wanted to see if we could meet up tomorrow?''_ asks Haru.

Tenma hesitates for a moment. Even though Haru is his friend, it probalby wouldn't be a good idea to tell about the training. ''Well, I'm pretty busy the next few days… But we can meet up after seven?''

'' _Can we go to the candy store?''_

Tenma laughs, earning a few looks from the other players, _especially_ the Raimon players. ''Sure. Actually, I really want to eat candy myself. And you're probably out of candy again?''

'' _How did you know?''_ asks Haru drily.

Tenma's smile becomes brighter. ''But anyway, sure. Are you still in Inazuma Town?'' he asks his friend.

'' _Nope, we got back a few day sago, but it's not that far. I'll just take the bus.''_ The redhead pauses for a moment. _''How are things with Raimon?''_

Tenma chokes on air, earning even more looks from the other players. ''Where did that come from?''

'' _I don't know… I just knew that I had to ask that. Sorry,''_ answers Haru softly.

Tenma smiles again. ''It's fine. Raimon's doing better, too. We made up a while ago, though…'' this voice becomes quieter, as to not attract attention. He has noticed the looks of his teammates, who are keeping an eye on him. ''though we're not really acting like we used to.'' He doesn't like not telling the redhead about the reforming of the team, and he has a strong feeling of guilt.

'' _Okay, if… if you're sure…''_ says Haru worriedly.

And that's when it happens. A flash of worry shoots through Tenma's body, and black specks appear in his vision. Vaguely, he hears Haru cry out in pain at the same moment as Tenma. He hears someone yell his name, actually, more like he hears a lot of voices crying out. Tenma doesn't react though, as he clutches his head in pain, dropping to his knees.

The phone falls on the ground, and the call is ended, while the two boys, Tenma and Haru, are both in the exact same position, clutching their heads in pain.

* * *

 **And that's done. I have school tomorrow, so I don't have much time to write this. Anyway, I'll try to update in a few weeks, but school is** _ **killing**_ **me~**

 **Until next time!**

 **\- Yara Meijer**


	9. Revelations

**Hey there! Here's chapter 8!**

 _ **do your best:**_ **Soon enough?**

 _ **AmyGolden1104:**_ **Hey! I'm back! I'm fine, just a bit busy with school. And nope, Tenma isn't. But it will get better~! And yep, the bond will become clearer soon! Hahaha, Raimon will soon learn of Haru's and Tenma's friendship, trust me!**

 **Please enjoy~!**

* * *

 _Tenma smiles again. ''It's fine. Raimon's doing better, too. We made up a while ago, though…'' this voice becomes quieter, as to not attract attention. He has noticed the looks of his teammates, who are keeping an eye on him. ''though we're not really acting like we used to.'' He doesn't like not telling the redhead about the reforming of the team, and he has a strong feeling of guilt._

'' _Okay, if… if you're sure…'' says Haru worriedly._

 _And that's when it happens. A flash of worry shoots through Tenma's body, and black specks appear in his vision. Vaguely, he hears Haru cry out in pain at the same moment as Tenma. He hears someone yell his name, actually, more like he hears a lot of voices crying out. Tenma doesn't react though, as he clutches his head in pain, dropping to his knees._

 _The phone falls on the ground, and the call is ended, while the two boys, Tenma and Haru, are both in the exact same position, clutching their heads in pain._

* * *

Shindou, Taiyou, Kirino, Kurosaki, Kishibe, the Taki brothers and Yukimura are sitting in a circle on the Teikoku soccer field, when a cry of pain disturbs their conversation. The two Raimon players, along with Taiyou, recognize the voice, and turn around in shock. ''Tenma?'' Shindou asks surprised. When he sees the brunet fall to his knees, clutching his head, he stands up alarmed. ''Tenma!'' the other soccer players have noticed that something is wrong with Raimon's captain by now.

The first one who reaches Tenma is Taiyou, and he kneels down beside the brunet. ''Tenma!'' he says worriedly, but the brunet doesn't seem to hear him. A moment later, the two are joined by the people who Taiyou was talking with earlier. Shindou kneels down next to Taiyou, while the other players form a circle around them.

Tsurugi breaks through the circle, and stops next to Kirino, who looks worriedly at his captain. Confused murmurs come from the crowd, when the silence is broken by worried voices. ''What's going on here?'' Endou walks forward, and the players split up so the adults can see the situation. ''Tenma…!''

Said brunet is still clutching his head in pain, and groans. His coach kneels down next to him, and gazes at him worriedly. ''Tenma. Can you hear me?'' his only answer is a pain-filled cry. ''Listen to my voice, Tenma. Calm down!'' this time, the brunet opens one eye to look at the older man. His grey eyes are clouded in pain, but at least they got a reaction. Endou frowns. ''Tenma, what's wrong?''

* * *

Shimizu Akio, Kanashimi's captain, looks up surprised when he hears a pain-filled cry. His eyes widen at the sight of the redhaired player, who is on his knees, with his hands clutching his head. Shimizu runs to the younger boy, and is soon joined by his teammates. ''Oi, Sakaki, what's wrong?''

Haru doesn't react, instead only groaning in pain. Shimizu frowns, and hears a creepy laugh behind him. He turns to look at Ueno Hiroko, who smirks down at him. Shimizu narrows his eyes at him, and Ueno holds his hands up in defence, still smirking. ''Woah, capt'n, calm down! No harm intended.'' His greyish purple eyes turn to look at Haru.

The boy has his eyes clenched shut, and is crying out in pain. His team gazes at him in worry, when they hear footsteps behind them. Ishikawa Jirou and Ishikawa Kazuo look at Haru coldly. The team becomes silent when they see them. Jirou looks at Kazuo, and the latter nods. Jirou turns to Haru again. ''Come on, boy, you're coming with us.''

Shimizu's eyes widen, and his team has similar reactions. Even Ueno's smirk disappears, and the boy grits his teeth. The two men, however, don't pay any attention to them. Jirou picks Haru up from the ground, and follows his brother. The two men enter the school, leaving the soccer team out on the field.

They walk through the white halls of Kanashimi High, and the only sound comes from their footsteps and Haru's heavy breath. They enter a room without windows. It's a huge room, dark, but clean and modern. A writing desk is standing on the other side of the room, but the men ignore it, instead opting to walk to another door, this one hidden in the shadows.

They walk through a long hallway, before they finally enter another room, made of dark metal. Holograms appear when they enter, showing statics. Cabinets full of chemicals are against the walls, and an operation table is standing in the middle of the room. Jirou walks towards the table, and places Haru on the table. Then, the man chains Haru to the table, so that the boy can't wake up.

He walks towards Kazuo, ignoring the groaning boy on the table. Kazuo types something on one of the holograms, and a machine above the operation table flares to life. A blue light scans the redhead on the table, and the results appear on another hologram.

When the brothers see the results, they are at a loss for words. After a few seconds of silence, Kazuo turns to the younger man. ''Jirou… these statics…'' his brother nods, and a cruel smile appears on his face. Kazuo looks at the hologram again. ''We need chemicals 31 and E5. We need to stabilize him. This will probably stabilize E12 too, considering the range of the bond. I want you to give E12 some OO3 too. I don't care how, just do it. same goes for E11, though you can do that after giving him 31 and E5,'' orders Kazuo.

Jirou nods, and walks towards the cabinets. He pulls out a few bottles, and after a while, he turns and walks towards Haru, who seems to be in a lot of pain. Jirou holds up a needle, and injects something in Haru's neck. For a moment, nothing happens, and then Haru starts to scream in pain. He fights against the chains, but he can't break them. Kazuo looks at the holograms, and smiles coldly at Jirou. ''It's working.''

And nobody hears the muted screams, that echo through the white halls of Kanashimi High, like a cold, silent breeze.

* * *

Tenma is sitting quietly in the old headquarters of Teikoku Academy. Some of the adults throw him worried looks, but the brunet doesn't react. He just stares at the wall, a blank look in his eyes. Aki arrived a while ago, and is still talking to Endou.

Tenma looks up when someone sits down next to him, and is surprised to find Fubuki, who hands him some water. The man smiles at him kindly. ''Hey. How are you doing?'' he asks quietly.

Tenma shrugs, and looks at the water. ''I… I don't know. I feel fine now, I just have a headache…'' he answers quietly. The silence returns.

When Tenma collapsed on the field, the coaches talked to their teams, telling them how late they were expected for training, and sending them home. A few minutes later, Tenma woke up, and Endou called Aki.

Tenma looks up when the woman joins him and Fubuki. She smiles at him softly. ''Come on, Tenma, let's go home.''

The ride home is quiet, and when they reach the house, Tenma immediately locks himself in his room. His thoughts turn to Haru, and he picks up his phone.

Haru doesn't pick up the phone. Tenma tries again, and almost wants to give up, when he hears Haru's tired voice. _''Tenma?''_

''Haru. Are you okay?'' a sense of relief washes over Tenma when he hears his friend.

The redhead chuckles weakly. _''I've been better.''_ They are silent for a moment, before Haru sighs softly. _''It happened to you, too, right? I heard you scream.''_

Tenma nods, even though the other can't see him. ''Yeah, it did. But… _what_ happened anyway? I just felt a strange feeling of worry, when my head felt like it was about to explode.''

'' _I know. I suddenly felt very guilty, but I don't know why. It was like… like it wasn't my own emotion, but from someone else. And my head started hurting, too.''_

Tenma frowns. ''Guilt…? Why guilt?'' he mutters to himself.

'' _I don't know. But did you say that you felt worried?''_

''Yes, why?''

Haru is silent for a moment. _''Do you remember what we were talking about?''_

Tenma frowns again, thinking back to the conversation they had. ''We were talking about Raimon…''

'' _Yes. I remember feeling… feeling worried about you. That's why I asked,''_ answers Haru softly, and Tenma's eyes widen.

''And I… I felt guilty...''

'' _Why?''_

Tenma bites his lip, coming up with a lie. ''Because I couldn't meet up with you,'' he offers.

Haru growls. _''I know you're lying. Tell me the truth.''_

The brunet blinks. ''I-I can't tell you… sorry.''

'' _Sorry, I shouldn't said that. But anyway, you felt guilty, I felt worried, ands a moment later, we both felt the emotion of the other. That can't be a coincidence, can it?''_ Haru asks.

The captain shakes his head. ''No. Something's going on. Any ideas?''

The redhead hesitates for a moment. _''Maybe… but I don't want to talk to you over the phone. It's easier to talk face to face.''_

''Yeah,'' agrees Tenma. ''Tomorrow, eight o'clock, riverbank?''

'' _Sure. See you.''_

''See you.''

* * *

The next day, Hamano walks up to Tenma when they meet at Water World Stadium. ''Tenma! Are you alright?'' he asks worriedly, and the brunet smiles.

''I'm fine. Just a bit tired, but nothing I can't manage,'' he answers.

The two Raimon players are joined by Kishibe, Kidokawa Seishuu's captain. ''You looked pretty bad yesterday. Are you sure you'll be fine?'' he asks, frowning, and Tenma nods.

''Okay, everyone! Here's what we're going to do today…'' Afuro's voice calls out over the field. Tenma places his bag on the bench, and joins the other players. He sees a flash of blue out of the corner of his eye, but when he turns to look, he doesn't see anything. The boy shrugs and turns to listen to Afuro.

That evening, Tenma and Haru meet each other at the riverbank. The redhead is sitting on the bench, when Tenma joins him. ''Tenma!'' he smiles happily.

''Hey, Haru,'' greets his friend. He frowns when he sees a bandage around Haru's neck. ''Are you ok?''

Haru stiffens, though he tries to hide it. He laughs sheepishly. ''Yeah, just injured myself during practice…'' he scratches the back of his head, and Tenma looks at him worried.

''Okay, if you're sure. Anyway, do you have any idea what happened yesterday?'' asks the brunet.

Haru sighs, and looks at the sky. ''Strange flashes, knowing when the other is lying, headaches…''

''I've been having a lot of headaches lately.''

Haru looks at him sharply. ''Since when?''

Tenma thinks for a moment. ''A few weeks…'' he hesitates. ''The first time was right after our match.'' The redhead gasps. Tenma looks at him confused. ''Haru…?''

The redhaired boy clenches his fists. ''Those bastards… I thought they had something to do with it, but…'' he mutters. Tenma looks at him confused. Haru looks at him, and hesitates. ''I… I think that my coach and the director of Kanashimi have something to do with it.''

Tenma's eyes widen. ''Human experimenting…'' the moment he says it, he slaps a hand over his mouth, but the damage is done. Haru stares at him with wide, horrified eyes.

''You _know_?'' he whispers in horror.

Tenma hesitates for a moment, before nodding. He puts his hand down, and sighs. ''Yeah… my coach and his friends have been doing research on Kanashimi. We know about the Ishikawa twins, and their science background. How they suddenly disappeared, and started a school… and the human experimenting.'' Tenma pauses, before looking at Haru again. ''Is it true?'' the redhead doesn't answer. ''Haru… do you think they have something to do with what's happening to us?''

The orange-eyes boy nods quietly. ''It's the only explanation. I can't believe they would do something like this… no, actually, I do.''

Tenma nods, trying to keep calm. ''W-What do you think they did?'' his voice betrays him.

Haru shrugs. ''No idea. But it can't be good.''

The silence returns, and the two boys stare out over the field. It's slowly getting darker, and the sun is moving towards the horizon when Tenma stand up. He has a soccer ball in his hands, and Haru raises an eyebrow. ''One-on-one?''

Haru smirks. ''You're on.''

* * *

The next nine days pass, and before Raimon knows it, they're ready for Keshin training. A certain navy-haired forward is looking at a brunet, when someone joins him. Tsurugi looks at Shindou, and the older boy sighs. ''He's been acting… different, lately.''

Tsurugi looks at Tenma again. ''Yeah, but it's not surprising. After what we did to him…'' he trails off.

Shindou shakes his head. ''There's that, too, but he seems… distracted. I've asked Hamano, who was paired with him, and he said that Tenma has been acting very absently, like he's thinking of something else. And what happened at Teikoku…''

Tsurugi faces his friend. ''He can handle himself. Remember Fei? When we all lost our memories? Tenma was the only one who remembered, and was saved by Fei, a total stranger, but he managed. And when he met that princess during the Grand Celesta Galaxy. We just have to trust him on this. I doubt he'd want our help now.''

Shindou sighs. ''I know, but still…''

Before he can finish, they are called by Endou. The Raimon Keshin users gather around him, and some players of the other teams walk forward. They are all Keshin users. Taiyou, Yukimura, Kishibe, Mahoro, Sousuke and Kurosaki. Endou explains what they are going to do. ''Your Keshin are 'locked'. The easiest way to 'unlock' them, is to bring out your Keshin again. Because it's not completely gone, it will be easier than the first time. Concentrate on your Keshin. Feel it. Bring it out.'' Endou pauses for a moment. ''You'll be playing against the other Keshin users. Six-on-six. You are all allowed to use Keshin. Any questions?''

There are no questions, so Endou tells them to start. Raimon uses a familiar formation, with Shinsuke as keeper, Kirino as defender, Nishiki and Shindou as midfielders, and Tenma and Tsurugi as forwards. The other team doesn't have a real formation, and they miss a keeper, but their talent miakes up for it. They immediately attack, and Raimon has to give everything to defend against the Keshin users.

The match goes on, and Raimon is clearly losing, when it happens. Kirino has been getting a feeling of nostalgia, remembering a certain girl… Jeanne. He closes his eyes, and allows Yukimura, who has the ball, to pass. The feeling of his Keshin burns through his veins, and Kirino opens his eyes. A purple cloud of energy leaves his body, and takes shape. ''Battle Flag Warrior Brynhildr!''

And suddenly, Kirino is in front of Yukimura, stealing the ball, and shooting it towards Tsurugi. ''Tsurugi!'' he yells, and the forward runs towards the ball.

Tsurugi approaches the goal, but is stopped by Mahoro who came back from the front. ''Illusory Dalamanglass!'' Mahoro's Keshin appears.

Tsurugi smirks, and dribbles around him. He now has free way towards the goal. He closes his eyes for a moment. ''Sword Saint Lancelot!'' his Keshin appears.

He scores, but the other team steals the ball back. Taki Sousuke gets the ball, and smirks when he sees Shinsuke. ''Iron Horse Warrior Knight W!''

When he shoes, Shinsuke narrows his eyes, and a determined fire shines in his eyes. ''Haa! Planet Guardian God Titanias!'' he stops Taki's shot, and smiles. ''I did it! I have my Keshin back!'' he cheers.

Shindou smiles. ''Good work, Shinsuke!''

The next one who frees his Keshin, is Nishiki. He faces off against Kishibe, who brings out his Keshin. Nishiki grins. ''My turn! Sengoku War God Musashi!'' After he passes Kishibe, he passes to Shindou. ''Shindou! Your turn!''

The ex-captain smirks and accepts the ball. ''Sure! Instrumentalist Maestro!'' the four-armed Keshin appears, and Shindou shoots. Kurosaki tries to stop him by using his Keshin, but fails.

A while later, Taiyou gets the ball. He runs, but stops in surprise when he sees Tenma. The boy grins. ''Tenma! Do you really think you can stop me?''

Tenma shrugs. ''I can always try!''

Taiyou frowns, that was not the answer he was expecting. ''Sun God Apollo!'' his Keshin appears. '' **Armed**!'' he yells, and the Keshin forms an armor around him. Tenma takes a step back, and Taiyou grins.

He runs forward, passing Tenma. The brunet turns around in shock to look at him. He sees his teammates trying to stop him, but failling. Taiyou scores, and Tenma sighs. It's not working. He can't feel his Keshin at all.

The match resumes like this, with the other team having the upperhand again. The only one who hasn't brought out a Keshin yet is Tenma.

Shindou walks towards him. ''Tenma…'' the brunet turns around. ''Why can't you bring out your Keshin?'' asks the wavy-haired boy.

Tenma looks uncertain. ''I… I can't feel my Keshin at all.'' Shindou's eyes widen, but before he can say anything else, the game resumes.

Tenma is running over the field, when suddenly, he hears a voice. No, not a voice. More like a presence. It feels familiar, and reminds him of the young sun in spring. He smiles softly. ''Haru…'' whispers the brunet. The presence surrounds him, and shows him a memory.

 _Tenma is running on the sandy field, when Taiyou jumps in front of him. ''Sun God Apollo!'' Taiyou's Keshin appears, and Tenma stops._

 _Tenma gets a determined look in his eyes. ''I'll fly over the sun. I'll fly higher, and higher!'' he kicks the ball, and starts running again. ''With my soccer!''_

 _Blueish purple energy appears, in the form of wings, and Tenmajumps. The energy forms a Keshin. ''Reach the heavens! This is… Demon God Pegasus Arc!''_

''Haru…'' whispers Tenma in shock, remembering the feeling of his evolved Keshin. The presence points him to a dark corner of his mind, and Tenma feels familiar energy surround him. Silently, he thanks the redhead.

Again, Taiyou stops when he sees Tenma. ''Sun God Apollo! **Armed**!'' His Keshin appears, and Taiyou starts to move.

But then he stops, in shock, when he sees Tenma… _smiling_?

''Reach the Heavens!'' Taiyou's eyes widen when he hears the familiar sentence. ''Demon God Pegasus Arc!" Tenma's Keshin forms, and silence falls over the field. '' **Armed**!''

Taiyou grins, and moves forward, while Tenma does the same. The two fight for the ball, no one getting the upperhand. Tenma smiles at Taiyou. ''I'll fly…'' he starts, and Taiyou's eyes widen again. ''Over…'' Tenma starts to push harder, and Taiyou feels himself being pushed back. ''The sun!''

Taiyou's armor shatters, and Tenma passes him. He shoots, and the ball flies in the goal. Everyone gapes at him, when Tenma turns around, a familiar, bright smile on his face, that he used to wear all the time. ''Yes! I did it!''

* * *

 **And that was that. Wow. Hope you enjoyed it.**

 **\- Yara Meijer**


	10. Together

**Hello everyone! I'm back!**

 **Woah, I'm doing good with writing! Three chapters! Didn't expect that.**

 **AND! I changed the language on Word, so now it's both English and my native language, so no annoying spelling checks and made up Word words. I hope.**

 **By the way, I noticed that I forgot the disclaimer in the last chapters. So, here we go.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Inazuma Eleven or any related shows/games/movies. I only own my OCs. This, of course, goes for the entire story, even if I forget the disclaimer (sorry).**

 _ **Coco Baldwin: Thank you, thank you, I'm updating~!**_

 _ **do your best: Hahaha, I'm updating so fast, people don't even have time to read/review. Or they thing the story is bad, that's possible too. Thank you for the endless inspiration, though I'd like to keep the amount of inspiration I have now. It's more than enough, and I still need to be able to concentrate at school ;) thanks for reviewing~**_

* * *

 _Again, Taiyou stops when he sees Tenma. ''Sun God Apollo!_ _ **Armed**_ _!'' His Keshin appears, and Taiyou starts to move._

 _But then he stops, in shock, when he sees Tenma… smiling?_

'' _Reach the Heavens!'' Taiyou's eyes widen when he hears the familiar sentence. ''Demon God Pegasus Arc!" Tenma's Keshin forms, and silence falls over the field. ''_ _ **Armed**_ _!''_

 _Taiyou grins, and moves forward, while Tenma does the same. The two fight for the ball, no one getting the upper hand. Tenma smiles at Taiyou. ''I'll fly…'' he starts, and Taiyou's eyes widen again. ''Over…'' Tenma starts to push harder, and Taiyou feels himself being pushed back. ''The sun!''_

 _Taiyou's armor shattered, and Tenma passes him. He shoots, and the ball flies in the goal. Everyone gapes at him, when Tenma turns around, a familiar, bright smile on his face, that he used to wear all the time. ''Yes! I did it!_

* * *

'' _What the hell are you doing?!'' the brunet turns around in shock, looking at the one who yelled at him. The light haired forward growls when he sees his captain looking at him._

 _The captain hesitates, and an uncertain look appears on his face. ''W-What do you mean, Kurama-senpai?'' he asks the older boy, and flinches when the boy growls again._

'' _What do I mean? Are you mad? Haven't you seen what those bastards did to us?!'' Kurama points towards the scoreboard, but doesn't look away from Tenma. The brunet looks at him with a slightly fearful and uncertain look. ''46-0! And that was only in the first half! Didn't you see? Those bastards played like they wanted to crush us! And what do you do? You simply_ _ **play**_ _with them?!'' the forward shouts._

'' _Kurama! That's enough!'' Shindou shouts, stepping between his captain and the forward. Kurama growls at him, but steps down anyway. Shindou turns around to look at Tenma, frowning disapprovingly. ''But Kurama is right. You should take this more seriously, Tenma,'' says the wavy haired midfielder._

 _Tenma watches him walk away, looking at his friend in shock. ''S-Shindou-san… but I am taking this seriously,'' he mutters, though none of his teammates hear him._

 _A few minutes before the second half starts, Tsurugi and Shindou walk up towards Tenma, with the rest of the team watching them. The brunet looks at them surprised, and Tsurugi narrows his eyes. ''Try to take this more serious, Tenma. We can't lose here, so we need to give everything we've got.''_

'' _But I am serious! Why can't you see that?'' protest Tenma desperately. He sees the disbelieving looks his team gives him, and takes a step backwards in shock._

 _Shindou sighs, and shakes his head. ''Tenma, I know you love soccer, but these people… they will never play like you do. They are trying to destroy Raimon, Tenma. We need our captain.'' He looks at the brunet, who stares at him in shock._

 _Tenma gasps when he hears Shindou's words, but he isn't going to back down now. ''I don't think so, Shindou-san. There's at least one person who loves soccer very much.'' His gaze falls on the redhead who is standing by the other bench._

'' _Why can't you see that the world isn't always flowers and sunshine?'' asks Kariya coldly. Tenma turns to look at him. ''Not everyone has good intentions, Tenma-kun. You should learn that, before you get hurt.''_

 _Tenma opens his mouth to answer. ''I really think there's more to this than what we see. Those players… they look so sad.'' He looks towards the Kanashimi team, before he turns his gaze back to his team. ''They are not bad people! They really love soccer and-''_

 _Shindou cuts him off. He balls his fist, and looks tired towards the brunet. ''Stop. Just… just stop, Tenma. We need our captain right now, we need our leader. So get yourself together before the second half starts. So just stop acting like a child and start trying to win this match,'' he warns._

 _Tenma stares at him for a second longer, before his eyes turn cold. If there is one thing that's absolutely not true, is that he isn't trying to win. Accusing him of acting like a child, and not trying to win, is the worst thing Shindou could have set to him. Tenma's eyes are shadowed by his bangs when he answers. ''I'm sorry… Shindou-senpai.'' The eyes of the Raimon players widen when they hear Tenma address the game maker like he did after he just became captain. Shindou looks like the brunet just punched him in the face, while Tenma continues talking. ''Maybe I am not cut out to be captain, after all.'' He takes off the captain band, and hands it to Shindou, who is still frozen in shock._

 _That was the moment Tenma stopped smiling._

Shindou's eyes snap open, and he sits up right, gasping for breath. He just sits silently in the dark for a moment, before looking at the clock on his nightstand, which reads 5:29. The game maker sighs quietly, and leans back. A sad look appears in his eyes when he remembers, his dream… no, his memory. It was a memory from the Raimon-Kanashimi match.

That cursed match.

They hurt Tenma very much. They hurt their team's captain, their team's light, their team's _heart_. The one who always sees the best in people. The one who is always there to help them, no matter what. Shindou sighs again, still feeling guilty about the events.

Then, he gets a determined look in his eyes, and smiles slightly.

He knows what he has to do.

* * *

The next day Raimon will start on Mixi-Max training, while the rest of the team keeps practicing with the other teams. Shindou arrives early at the Paradise Stadium. So early, actually, that no one has arrived yet – no one, except one. And that's what Shindou was hoping for.

When he sees the brunet, who is dribbling on his own, he smiles. Shindou runs forward, stealing the ball from Tenma. He looks amused at Tenma's shocked look. ''Good morning, Tenma,'' he greets his captain.

''Good morning, senpai,'' answers Tenma, and he gives a small smile. Shindou looks at him sadly, and Tenma blinks. ''Err… senpai? I something wrong?''

Shindou sighs. ''Actually, yes. I… I wanted to…'' he trails off, looking at the grass in front of his feet.

''What is it? You can tell me,'' encourages Tenma, and Shindou smiles kindly at him. The brunet looks taken surprised, and Shindou chuckles.

''I wanted to apologize.'' He doesn't think when he says it. It's the easiest way. Tenma looks at him surprised and confused. Shindou sighs, before explaining. ''I said some… mean things, during the Kanashimi match,'' he clarifies, and Tenma's eyes widen in understanding. But Shindou isn't done yet. ''I never should have said what I said. It was stupid. I know you always try your hardest to win, and you don't act like a child during matches – it's just part of your personality. And…'' he pauses for a moment, before continuing, while looking at Tenma seriously. ''And if there is anyone who can be Raimon's captain, it's you, Tenma. I'm sorry.'' Shindou bows, looking at the ground.

Tenma stays silent for a while, and Shindou is afraid he won't answer, before Tenma proves him wrong. ''Please stand up, senpai. I forgive you.'' Shindou looks at the brunet in disbelief. Tenma just smiles brightly. ''I've been on the same team as you for almost a year now. And, I have to say, I know you very well. I know you didn't mean what you said, that you were just frustrated and angry… but you hurt me.'' Tenma's eyes meet those of Shindou, and the older boy is surprised by the amount of hurt in Tenma's grey orbs. ''You hurt me, and though I know you didn't mean it… an apology was in place. So, thank you. And I'm sorry too.''

Shindou's head shoots up in disbelief. ''What on earth are you sorry for?'' because the brunet has nothing to be sorry for.

Tenma smiles sadly. ''I haven't been acting very captain-like the past weeks. I should've tried to keep the team together, instead of shoving the burden on you. It is my duty, as Raimon's captain, but also as their friend, to help them, and you, when you need it. I didn't. And for that, I'm sorry.''

Shindou smiles at him. ''You always seem to surprise me, Tenma. But honestly, your reaction was to be expected – after all, we hurt you. And I think that I speak for the entire team when I say that we never should have said and done the things that we said and did.''

The brunet smiles at him brightly. ''Thank you, Shindou-san.''

* * *

Two days later, Tenma, Tsurugi, Shindou, Shinsuke, Nishiki and Kirino gather at the Paradise Stadium, where Gouenji, Kidou, Endou and Taiyou are already waiting for the six Raimon players. When everyone has arrived, Endou starts talking. ''Good morning, everyone. Today, we're going to train with Mixi-Max. Amemiya has agreed to train with you, because he is currently the only Mixi-Max user we can ask for help.'' He looks at Taiyou, and smiles. ''They're all yours.''

The orange-haired captain takes a step forward. ''Okay, here's what we're going to do. I believe that the best way to awaken your Mixi-Max, is to recreate the events in which you fused your aura. So, for example, for Shindou-san, we'll have to recreate his determination to help his team – by seeing when he has to play offense, and when he has to play defense.'' Taiyou narrows his eyes, and looks seriously at the group. ''We'll start with Shindou-san. We're going to play three-on-three, I'll be watching from the sidelines. And Shindou-san,'' he turns and looks at the ex-captain. ''I want you to observe before playing. Observe your opponents, and try to remember when you fused with Nobunaga. Okay?''

Shindou nods, determination in his eyes. ''Got it.''

They take their positions. One team exist out of Shindou, Kirino and Tsurugi, with Kirino playing defense, Shindou being a midfielder, and Tsurugi as forward. Shinsuke has taken his position as keeper, but will also play as defender for the other team, Nishiki plays midfielder and Tenma will be forward.

The whistle blows, and the game begins. Tsurugi immediately runs forward, past Tenma, but is stopped by Nishiki, who steals the ball and grins. Nishiki passes the ball to Tenma, who starts running towards the goal, past Shindou, who hasn't moved an inch. Tenma shoots, but Kirino interferes, and passes the ball to Tsurugi.

The play goes on like this for a while, and soon, everyone forgets the sixth player on the field. This is exactly what Shindou has been waiting for, and when Nishiki runs towards him, he suddenly starts to move. Stealing the ball from Nishiki, he immediately goes on offence, running towards the goal. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Tsurugi, and he passes.

Tsurugi takes the ball, and runs towards the goal too. Shinsuke runs towards him, but Tsurugi passes towards Shindou, who runs past Shinsuke.

A yellow light surrounds the game maker, and his hair becomes wavier, with a ponytail on the top of his head, and a reddish-brown color. Shindou's eyes turn crimson red, and the boy smiles. ''Mixi-Trans: Nobunaga!''

Shindou runs towards the goal, and stands on the ball. He opens his eyes, and kicks the ball in a zig-zag pattern. The ball is covered in blue energy, and Shindou kicks it towards the goal. ''Setsuna Boost!'' the ball flies in the goal.

The players begin to smile. ''Good work, Shindou!'' yells Taiyou from the sidelines.

''Awesome, Shindou!'' compliments Kirino, and the game maker smiles.

A yellow light surrounds him, and a moment later, the original Shindou is standing on the field. He smiles and turns around to face his team. ''Okay, everyone, Kirino is next. Let's do this!'' he smiles at the pink-haired defender.

The match resumes, and the teams are evenly matched. Then, Tenma's team finally gets through the defense of the other team. Tenma shoots, and scores.

Kirino watches as the ball flies in the net, and takes a deep breath. He closes his eyes, imagining Jeanne for a moment. Her blond hair, her glasses, her courage… the boy smiles and opens his eyes, as he hears a quiet whisper in the wind, that sounds just like Jeanne's voice. _''Ranmaru…''_

Nishiki is running towards their goal, but Kirino tackles him and steals the ball, running a bit before passing to Tsurugi. ''Shoot!'' he yells.

Tsurugi does as he asked, and shoots. The ball flies past Shinsuke and Shindou's team scores another point. The small keeper beams. ''Nice shot!''

Tsurugi smiles a small smile, before returning to his position. Kirino smiles while watching his teammates, and another gust of wind reminds him of Jeanne again. _''God will answer to your bravery…''_

Kirino narrows his eyes when he sees Nishiki again, passing Shindou. The pink-haired defender closes his eyes for a moment, before starting to move towards Nishiki, and, once again, steal the ball. He passes Nishiki, and a yellow light surrounds him.

Kirino's hair becomes longer, and turns into a blond shade. Glasses appear on his face, and azure eyes open, scanning the field. The boy runs, and passes to Shindou. ''Go, Shindou!''

The game maker smiles and nods, a look of determination on his face, before turning towards the goal and shooting. The ball goes in, and everyone turns to look at Kirino.

He is standing in the middle of the field, his pigtails waving in the wind. He closes his eyes and sighs. ''Thank you, Jeanne…'' whispers the boy, and a yellow light surrounds him again.

After Kirino changed back, Taiyou walks forward. ''Okay, that's everything. We'll continue tomorrow. Good work, Shindou, Kirino.''

* * *

Kazuo walks through the halls of Kanashimi High, and enters the experiment room. His brother is sitting in a chair, working on something on the holograms. Kazuo walks towards him, looking at the holograms. Jirou doesn't turn around when he answers the unspoken question. ''The emotional link is stabilizing, but it will still become stronger. Until now, they only really notice it when the other has a very strong emotion. Their memories haven't mixed yet, but it won't take long anymore. The mind reading is starting to develop – they can't talk to each other, yet, but they can enter each other's minds, even though there is a time limit. E11 has shown signs of entering E12's mind. The possibility of a lasting, constant telepathic link is becoming more likely, with the progress they are making. They are also showing signs of synchronization. Currently, the experiment is completed for 79% and still growing, and the pace of the progress is rising. My calculations tell me that the experiment will be completed for 90% in five days,'' finishes Jirou.

Kazuo nods. ''Good work, brother. Did you manage to give E12 more chemicals?'' he asks the younger, and his eyes turn to look at Jirou.

Jirou nods. ''I managed to put some in his drink at Water World Stadium. He almost noticed me, but didn't think anything of it, luckily.'' He pauses for a moment, opening a hologram and showing it to his brother. ''Because of their bond, E11 is influencing E12's progress. As long as we give E11 enough chemicals, E12 will only need small doses to prepare his brain and body.''

The older brother smiles at Jirou. ''Great. Get some sleep, I'll take over. And keep an eye on the other subjects, E1 through E10. They are not as important as E11 for our experiment, but they certainly are useful.''

''Got it.''

* * *

Shindou, Kirino, Sangoku, Kurama and Hamano are walking past the riverbank, when Hamano sees something out of the corner of his eye. He turns, and sees a certain captain and his dog sitting at a bench besides the river. ''Hey, is that Tenma?''

His friends stop and look towards the riverside. ''You're right,'' agrees Sangoku. ''But what is he doing here? And is that a dog?'' asks the keeper surprised.

Shindou chuckles. ''The dog's name is Sasuke. It's Tenma's dog, and he often takes this route when he is walking with Sasuke,'' answers the wavy haired boy.

His friends turn to him in surprise. ''How do you know that?'' asks Kirino surprised.

The other shrugs. ''I met Sasuke when I visited Tenma's home. He told me how he got Sasuke – it's an interesting story. Sasuke's a really nice dog, by the way,'' he says.

Kurama frowns. ''Wait, you've been to his home? I thought only the first years visited him. When did you visit him anyway?'' asks the forward.

Shindou pauses for a moment, remembering the events that led to him visiting his captain's home. ''Remember when we heard about the other schools during the Holy Road? When Tenma ran away?'' he asks his friends, who nod curiously. ''I was worried about him, so I searched for him. When I went to his house, Tenma returned, and I was invited inside. We talked for a while, and that's also how I met Sasuke.''

The five walk down the stairs that lead to the riverbank, and Hamano waves to the brunet. ''Hey, Tenma!''

The captain turns around in surprise, and smiles weakly when he sees his teammates. When he spots Shindou, however, his smile brightens. ''Hey, senpai,'' he greets when the upperclassmen reach him.

Shindou pets Sasuke before sitting down on the bench besides Tenma. The other three simply sit down on the grass, watching the dog. When Tenma sees them looking at his dog, he chuckles. ''Senpai, this is my dog, Sasuke. Sasuke these are Sangoku-senpai, Kuruma-senpai, Hamano-senpai and Kirino-senpai, and you already know Shindou-san.''

The four senpai look a bit surprised when they hear how Tenma calls their ex-captain. Kirino looks between the two. ''Did something happen?'' he asks them.

Shindou looks at Tenma, who nods. ''I apologized,'' answers Shindou simply.

Sangoku frowns. ''What for?''

Tenma shrugs, but Shindou doesn't let it slide that easy. After all, his friends still owe Tenma an apology. ''For what I said at the Kanashimi match. We hurt Tenma with our behavior, even though he didn't deserve it.''

The other players look at Shindou in surprise, before turning their gazes towards Tenma, who looks very uncomfortable under the stares. ''It's fine, really-''

''No, it's not.'' Kirino cuts him off, and Tenma looks at him with a surprised look on his face. ''Shindou is right. The way we acted was inappropriate. I'm sorry, Tenma,'' says the pink-haired defender, meeting Tenma's eyes with a fiery determination.

Hamano nods. ''Yeah. They're right. Sorry.'' Tenma turns to Hamano, the surprise on his face still growing.

The next one is Sangoku. ''Sorry, Tenma. We shouldn't have done what we did,'' he says.

They all turn to look at Kurama, who scowls. After a few seconds, though, he sighs, and meets Tenma's eyes. ''Yeah, I'm sorry too… I was one of the people who… said some things that I really shouldn't have. I'm sorry.''

Tenma looks shocked, but smiles brightly a few seconds later. ''Thank you, senpai. But it's okay, really.'' The four older boys look relieved, but still a bit guilty. Tenma raises an eyebrow.

Shindou sighs. ''Even though you forgive us so easily, we still want to make it up to you. We betrayed your trust, and we want to show you that you can trust us.'' He offers Tenma a smile.

Sasuke chooses that moment to whine, and the players look at the dog before chuckling. ''How did you get a dog anyway?'' asks Kirino, and Shindou grins when he remembers the story.

Tenma pauses for a moment. ''When I was younger, I lived in Okinawa. One day, I saw a puppy stuck between some wooden planks, that were about to fall on him. I saved the dog, but tripped, and almost got hit myself. Then, a soccer ball shot from out of nowhere, hitting the planks, and saving me. I kept the ball, which had a Raimon logo drawn on it. That's the reason why I wanted to play for Raimon. I also kept the puppy, which I named Sasuke. I also found out that the one who shot the ball, was Gouenji-san.'' The four senpai look at him in surprise, but there is also understanding in their eyes. But Tenma isn't done yet. ''Later, Alpha from Protocol Omega, tried to erase my love for soccer by stopping the ball from saving me. He told me I was hit by the planks, and was in a coma for three months… Luckily, Wonderbot and Fei appeared, and restored history.''

His friends look horrified at the thought of a young Tenma being in a coma, and Shindou is frowning. ''I didn't know about that. Why didn't you tell me?''

Tenma shrugs. ''When I told you about how my love for soccer started, I hadn't met Fei yet, and it just didn't come up with the whole time jump thing. After we returned to our own time, I kind of forgot because I thought it wasn't important, and then the Grand Celesta Galaxy happened.''

They sit in silence for a moment, when Tenma's phone rings. He doesn't look at the caller ID, because he knows for sure that the one who calls him is Haru. ''Hey.''

'' _Hey Tenma! How are you?''_

Tenma smiles, while his friends look at him in curiosity. ''I'm fine. Let me guess, you're out of candy?''

'' _I am! It's awful! I need to buy more!''_ whines the redhead.

Tenma sighs dramatically. ''Haru, we bought three bags of candy two days ago. I got one bag, you two. How did you possibly eat it all in two days?'' his friends look amused at his reaction.

'' _But Tenma! How can I not? I mean, it's, it's candy!''_

''Then buy more.''

'' _The candy shop in Inazuma Town is better than the candy store here!''_

''You are unbelievable. But anyway, you didn't call because you were out of candy. You never call because of that, though, now that I think about it, our conversations always start with candy. But, back to the point, why did you call?''

When Haru talks again, his voice sounds serious. _''I eavesdropped on the coach and the director. They were talking about 'E11', that's my codename, and 'E12' and I guess that your codename. I heard a lot about their experiment.''_

Tenma's eyes widen. ''Are you serious? Are you alone right now?''

Haru is silent for a few seconds, and Tenma guesses he's making sure he's alone. _''Yeah, I'm on the roof and no one can hear or see me.''_

''So, what did you find out?''

'' _They said that the experiment is completed for 79%. I'm not sure what they're trying to do, but I heard what is going to happen to us. We have an emotional link, and it's stabilizing. We can feel the strong emotions of the other, but it will become stronger. We will get access to each other's memories and we can enter each other's minds, like I did when I helped you with your Keshin. It… it will eventually develop to mind reading. They said that the possibility of a lasting, constant telepathic link is becoming more liking. I also heard something about synchronization, though I'm not sure what that means. They… they thought that the experiment will be completed for 90% in five days.''_

Tenma grows paler during the explanation, and stays silent for a few seconds when Haru finishes talking. When he does talk, his voice is shaky and soft. ''That's… i-it's just…'' he pauses, and his friends look at him worriedly. Tenma closes his eyes. ''Haru, I'm scared,'' he whispers.

Haru's voice is soft too, and he can hear his fear. _''So am I, but there's nothing we can do. We'll get through this together, I promise.''_

''You promise?''

'' _Do you trust me, Tenma?''_

Tenma blinks. ''Of course I trust you, Haru.''

Haru chuckles. _''Then I promise you that I will try everything in my power to get us through this, okay?''_

Tenma nods, even though his friend can't see him. ''Okay. We'll get through this. See you.''

'' _See you.''_

Haru hangs up, and Tenma puts his phone away. He feels a small brush of the familiar presence in his mind, _Haru's_ presence. It offers him some comfort, and Tenma reaches out with his mind to send a feeling of gratefulness. He can almost feel Haru smile, as the presence retracts from his mind.

Tenma's thoughts are disturbed by the sound of Shindou's voice. ''Tenma, what was that all about?'' he asks worriedly. ''Who was that? And what do you mean, you're afraid?''

Tenma freezes when he hears his friend's voice. Slowly, he turns to voice his upperclassmen, who are all looking at him worriedly, though Kurama tries to hide it. Tenma looks at them with an uncertain look on his face, trying to think of a good answer. ''Err…''

* * *

 **Ooh, Tenma's in trouble now~! This chapter turned out far better than I expected it too. I think that the story has been on hold for the last few chapters. They trained, Tenma and Haru met up, weird headaches, but nothing new. I think I finally managed to break the circle in this chapter. I have also been watching Inazuma Eleven GO Chrono Stone again, for the Keshin and Mixi-Max, and I've been rereading the chapters. I thought I missed the bond between Raimon that you see in the first chapters and the anime, so I decided to clarify the events of 'they hurt him the most' and all that. It was also the perfect way to mend the bond from Raimon. I also wanted to put Kazuo and Jirou in here, and I wanted to give Tenma and Haru a little more information about the experiment. I mean, I don't think they would be like 'oh people are experimenting us okay'. I want to reveal Haru soon, so showing him a bit too the upperclassmen looks like a good start. And it also turned out to be the perfect way to give Tenma and Haru more information.**

 **So, yeah, it turned out pretty well.**

 **By the way, if you're wondering THIS IS NOT ROMANCE. Tenma and Haru are just really good friends (goes for the rest of Raimon, too), and I'm trying to make their reaction believable. I mean, Haru was Tenma's only friend after his team left him, and Tenma is Haru's friend while he is being used as an experiment together with his team. I don't think they would be able to offer a lot of support. And they have a freakin' mental bond, so they've got to be close.**

 **Anyway, see you!**

 **I don't know when I'll be able to update again, but I hope it will be seen~!**

 **\- Yara Meijer**


	11. Stop Resisting

**Hello readers~! Here's the next chapter!**

 **Well, I said that this story would have around 15 chapters, right? I think that it might even be 20… because I have so many ideas!**

 _ **Coco Baldwin:**_ **Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying it~!**

 _ **Hey:**_ **Hello there. Thank you, thank you, I'm doing my best *bows* Actually, that confrontation was one of the hardest scenes to write, one of the reasons why this chapter took more time than usual. I really didn't know what to write… hahaha, well, bye bye~! Thank you for all your amazing reviews~!**

 _ **Frwt:**_ **Thank you~!**

 **Disclaimer: don't own, except my OCs.**

 **Well then, please enjoy!**

* * *

 _Tenma nods, even though his friend can't see him. ''Okay. We'll get through this. See you.''_

'' _See you.''_

 _Haru hangs up, and Tenma puts his phone away. He feels a small brush of the familiar presence in his mind, Haru's presence. It offers him some comfort, and Tenma reaches out with his mind to send a feeling of gratefulness. He can almost feel Haru smile, as the presence retracts from his mind._

 _Tenma's thoughts are disturbed by the sound of Shindou's voice. ''Tenma, what was that all about?'' he asks worriedly. ''Who was that? And what do you mean, you're afraid?''_

 _Tenma freezes when he hears his friend's voice. Slowly, he turns to voice his upperclassmen, who are all looking at him worriedly, though Kurama tries to hide it. Tenma looks at them with an uncertain look on his face, trying to think of a good answer. ''Err…''_

* * *

Endou sighs when he opens the door to his house. He steps inside, and takes of his shoes. When he walks inside the living room, he is greeted by Natsumi. ''Hey,'' she says, smiling at him. ''How was practice?''

Her husband sighs, and collapses on the couch. He stays silent for a few moments. ''It went good. Kirino and Shindou both used Mixi-Trans.'' He stares at the wall, and frowns.

Natsumi looks worried at the other, and sits next to him on the couch, placing her hand on top of his. ''Then what's wrong, Mamoru?'' she asks softly, abandoning her old nickname for him, instead opting to use his first name.

Because of the use of his first name, Endou knows she is serious. The man sighs again, leaning against his wife a bit. ''I'm worried about the team. They are damaged. You should see them, Natsumi…'' he whispers. ''They are playing again, but their trust between each other has been weakened. We haven't exactly started the team training yet, but the way it is going now, it won't work. But that's not even the worst.''

Natsumi frowns, her auburn orbs meeting Endou's serious eyes. He looks extremely tired, she notices, not at all like the proud man who entered the room. It looks like he just took off a mask, revealing the tired and confused young man underneath. ''Then what is it, Mamoru?''

Her husband sighs again, looking sadly at the floor. ''You remember what happened at the Kanashimi match?'' when she nods, he continues. ''During the break, the second half and especially after the match, the Raimon Eleven said some things… really bad things.'' His eyes meet hers. ''I don't know if you noticed, but in the second half, Shindou acted as captain.''

Natsumi frowns, looking confused at the man next to her. ''Yes, I did. But I don't understand why. Did something happen to Tenma-kun?'' she asks, and Endou sighs heavily.

''Oh, yes, something did happen,'' he says bitterly. ''His teammates got angry at him.''

Natsumi's eyes widen. ''Why? He didn't do anything wrong. I didn't see anything, anyway,'' she says.

Endou nods at her words. ''I can't blame Raimon for this, but still…'' he sighs again and shakes his head in frustration. ''They lost all hope, Natsumi. All of them, except Tenma.'' He looks in her eyes, a serious frown on his face. ''Do you know what it's like to lose all hope, and then see one person who doesn't give up? Who still goes on?'' Natsumi looks at him in confusion. ''I don't.''

Natsumi frowns at his statement. ''You don't? Then, what do you mean?''

''I've seen it before, but I've never been the one who lost hope. No, that wasn't me, but my teammates. I've been in the position Tenma is in now.'' At her confused look, her husband explains further. ''If you're so frustrated, so angry and so, so _helpless_ , and you see someone who still goes on, who does what you can't… Kazemaru once told me that you feel so angry, angry at that person, because he does what you can't do, and finally… you simply explode. You blame that person, yell at him. It's natural. But the position Tenma was in… the position _I_ was in… your teammates blaming you for something you don't understand, blaming you because you can still stand proudly… I can't blame Raimon, Natsumi, but they betrayed Tenma.''

When Endou stops talking, Natsumi takes his hand in hers. The man looks tired and sad, drowning in memories. Natsumi remembers the frustrated looks during the hard times of Raimon, when Endou stood strong, how his friends looked at him with envy. And now, she realizes, it's happening again, but this time with another team and another captain. ''Mamoru…'' she says sadly.

Endou tries to smile at her, but fails. ''Tenma has forgiven them. I know he has. It's just how he is. But still… even though he forgave them, he still can't be sure if he can trust them. They hurt him, and then left him. As long as Tenma is still cautious around his team, their teamwork will fail. A player who doesn't trust his team is a weak point, but the captain should never lose his trust. Luckily, Shindou can take over as captain, but the team is still off-balance like this.'' He sighs sadly, before smiling at her. ''I'm going to take a shower.''

When her husband leaves the room, Natsumi sits silently on the couch, deep in thought. Her husband clearly needs help. He is still young, and the burden on his shoulders is too much for him alone to bear. The worry for his team, the research about Kanashimi, and the memories are simply too much for him.

With that thought, Natsumi makes a decision. With determined eyes, she takes the phone, dealing a number. After a few seconds, the other picks up. _''Hello, who is this?''_

Natsumi smiles at the voice. ''It's me, Natsumi.''

She hears the surprise in the other's voice. _''Natsumi? Why did you call? Is something wrong?''_

Natsumi sighs softly. ''Yes. I need your help.''

'' _Ah. I see. What is the plan?''_

Natsumi smiles. She knew the other wouldn't let her down. ''They all have stubbornness issues, and they won't listen if we call them. It's up to us to convince them. So, here's what we're going to do.''

After she finishes the call, she deals another number. _''Hello? Can I help you?''_ Natsumi smiles at the youthful voice.

''Hello, it's me, Natsumi. I have a problem, and I would like your help.''

'' _Natsumi-san?''_ asks the other in surprise. _''I will help you, if I can.''_

Natsumi's smile brightens. ''Okay, as you know, stubbornness issues,'' she says, and the other laughs. ''And he's not the only one.'' The other laughs again when Natsumi says that.

'' _No, definitely not the only one. So, you want my help to convince him to do something?''_

Natsumi smirks. ''You know me so well.''

The other laughs again. _''We're partners in crime, remember?''_

* * *

''Err…'' Tenma tries to think of something, anything he can say, but nothing comes up. His senpai look at him in worry and confusion, and the brunet lowers his gaze to the ground. He really wants to tell his friends about Haru and the experiment, but he can't. If they know… they'll be angry at him for becoming friends with Haru. The burnet shivers when he imagines their reactions, and decides that no, he can't tell them. ''Just a friend.''

The five older students look at him in disbelief, and Kirino narrows his eyes at the captain. ''We're not stupid, Tenma. Something is going on between you and that 'friend', and we want to know what. So spill.''

Tenma cringes under the hard stare of the pink-haired defender, but he has already made up his mind. He won't tell them. Instead, the brunet fakes a smile. ''Really, it's nothing, senpai,'' he answers cheerfully. ''A friend of mine just called, and he had some… bad news.'' The smile turns into a frown. ''But it's nothing you should be concerned about – just some private stuff I still need to take care of. So, anyway, I've gotta go now. See you tomorrow!'' Tenma stands up, and tries to walk away with Sasuke, but a hand grabs his wrist, successfully stopping him.

When Tenma turns around, the angry black eyes of Kurama bore into his. The Raimon student is still holding the brunet's wrist, so he can't walk away. ''We want to know what is going on. You better talk. Who is this 'friend' of yours?''

Tenma tries to pull his wrist from the other's grip, but Kurama is holding him too tight. When the brunet realizes he can't get away, he looks to the side. The other Raimon students are looking at the two. They don't really like the way Kurama is treating the younger one, but they also want to know what is going on. ''Haru's just a friend I made a while ago.'' At Kurama's glare, the brunet explains further. ''We didn't have soccer practice, so I spent a lot of time on my own. That's when I met Haru. After that, we met up a few times and we call each other.'' His eyes take on a rebellious glance. ''So what? Am I not allowed to make friends or something?''

Kurama grits his teeth in annoyance. ''If you met this friend last month, what exactly can you be so scared about, and what does _he_ have to do with it?'' at this, the brunet keeps silence, trying to think of an answer. He looks at his senpai, and a sharp pain shoots through his skull. The headache, that the brunet is so familiar with, returns for the first time in days.

And suddenly, another feeling wells up inside him. His blood burns in his veins, and his eyes narrow to a glare. Tenma jerks his hand out of Kurama's grip, taking a step backwards. ''You don't have anything to do with it! It's my life! Leave me alone!'' with that, he turns around and runs away, leaving his stunned teammates behind.

* * *

Haru is in the clubroom of the Kanashimi soccer club with the rest of his team, waiting for his captain to arrive to start the 'meeting' about their new opponent. His team always does that. Going through the statics and facts of their opponents, so they can prepare for the match.

''Haru-kun.'' At the sound of his name, the redhead looks up, meeting the eyes of their first-year manager, Fujita Hitomi. She got her name because of her strange and beautiful reddish pink eyes, which are looking at him concerned. ''Are you okay? You look a bit… distracted,'' says the girl in her soft voice, auburn strands of hair falling over her shoulder as she tilts her head.

The redhead stares at her for a moment, before letting his eyes dart to the side. Truth is, he has been getting more information from Tenma lately. Headaches, but not as much as Tenma, outside feelings and sometimes even a strange thought, though the last one doesn't happen much. About half an hour ago, he called Tenma and told him about the new information on the experiment. Haru understands Tenma's worries, and he has to admit, he is scared too. But the feelings of worry for his brown haired friend and his friend's team are even stronger than the feelings of fear for the experiment. Why, he wonders? Because he has been exposed to the experiments for a longer time? Or is it because of the bond he shares with the brunet? It's all so confusing.

Then, Haru realizes Hitomi is still waiting for an answer, and he chuckles. ''I'm fine. I'm just annoyed because I'm out of candy, again! I mean, it is almost like someone has been eating them all!'' he says dramatically, throwing his hands in the air.

Hitomi chuckles. She knows, as does the rest of their team, about Haru's love for candy, having experienced it first-hand when the other first-year dragged her to the candy shop, after buying some things for the team. The other manager, Hamasaki Akemi, smirks at the redhead. ''Yeah, you. You're the only candy monster we have around here, Bakaki, if you like it or not.''

Haru smiles sheepishly at the third-year, but before he can answer, the doors open and Shimizu Akio enters, looking at his team. The second-year nods in greeting, immediately beginning with the meeting. ''Our next opponent is…'' Haru sighs as he listens to his captain talk about some team they will be facing in two days. He closes his eyes for a moment, trying to ignore the headache coming up, before focusing on his captain again. ''…they made it to the semifinal, but were beaten. They have a few players we should look out for, like Mazumi Hiroshi, a midfielder, Nebuchi Umitomo, forward, and Sata Tosamaru, the goalkeeper. Their most important player, though is the captain. He's still a first year, but has shown amazing statics-''

And then it happens. Suddenly, a wave of anger flows through Haru's body. His orange eyes widen in shock as his senses are taking over for a moment, showing a flash of a… memory? No, it's happening right now.

'' _\- friend last month, what exactly can you be so scared about, and what does he-''_

 _Silence, trying to think of an answer-_

 _-pain shooting through his skull-_

 _-another feeling wells up inside him-_

 _His blood burns in his veins-_

 _-eyes narrow to a glare-_

 _He jerks his hand out of-_

 _-taking a step backwards-_

'' _-don't have anything to do with it! It's my life! Leave me alone!''_

 _-turns around and runs away-_

With a gasp, Haru gets his senses back. When he opens his eyes, which he had unconsciously closed, the first thing he sees is the table in front of him. He is clenching his head, sweat on his forehead, body unnatural stiff and pain throbbing through his veins.

The second thing Haru realizes is the silence, and he looks up to find all eyes on him. Slowly, he lowers his hands and relaxes his body, looking at his teammates. Hitomi is the one to break the silence, her soft voice filled with concern. ''Haru-kun… are you okay? What happened?'' she asks, placing a hesitant hand on his shoulder. ''You're pale. Are you getting sick?''

Haru shakes his head and tries to smile, but from the disbelieving looks on the faces of his teammates he sees that it's not very concerning. When he opens his mouth to tell them that he's fine, Shimizu holds up a hand to silence him. ''And don't say you're fine, Sakaki. We can see that you are _not_ fine,'' warns the captain.

When Haru opens his mouth to retort that he _is_ fine, he is taking by surprise when someone grabs his collar, pulling him half out of his seat, and, in the process, almost choking him. '' _Don't_ give us that crap that you're _fine_ , brat, 'cause we know better. You heard what the capt'n said, didn't ya, trash? So tell us the fucking truth,'' hisses Ueno, his greyish purple eyes are narrowed to a glare.

Haru can't help himself, and he smirks. ''Aw, so you do care,'' he says, a little softly because of the lack of air. Ueno scowls, pulling even harder at the redhead's collar, causing him to gasp for air.

Shimizu places a hand on Ueno's shoulder, pulling him backwards. ''That's enough, Ueno! The kid still needs to breathe,'' he warns, narrowing his eyes at the other second-year, who smirks at him. Shimizu looks at him for a moment longer, before pushing the boy a few steps backward and returning his attention to Haru. ''So, Sakaki, spill.'' The dangerous tone in his voice leaves no room for argument.

Haru falls back in the familiar mindset that has guided him through all these months at Kanashimi. He gets a cold and calculation look in his eyes, his posture changing just a little bit, giving him a cold and intimidating look, and his voice becomes empty. ''What do you think?'' he looks expectantly at his captain, who bites his lip when he realizes what the younger boy means. ''Thought so.''

Then, the doors of the clubroom open.

* * *

''Their progress really is amazing… but it's not going smoothly.'' Ishikawa Jirou's voice breaks his brother out of the book he was reading. The younger brother is looking at the usual holograms, while his brother is sitting next to the wall.

''Hmm?'' Kazuo looks up, seeing his twin, who is looking at the holograms with a serious expression on his face. The cold light of the screen gives his skin a blueish white glow in the dark room. The oldest stands up after placing a bookmark between the pages. He walks towards his brother, stopping when he sees the holograms. ''What are you thinking?''

Jirou bites his lip, leaning his head on his fist. His blue eyes narrow a bit, and slowly he starts to talk. ''Well… I've been keeping an eye on it ever since we started this… and I've come to the conclusion…'' he pauses.

Kazuo raises an eyebrow. ''So? What do you think? I'm not following you here,'' he says and the other man turns to look at him in disbelief. Kazuo smiles and shrugs. ''You've always been better with details and predicting the progress.''

Jirou smiles softly, nodding at his brother, before becoming serious once again. ''Well… you've probably noticed it, but the progress has been very unstable,'' he begins. ''One time, it's going good, and the next, they're resisting again. And if we look at E1… I think we could use that method to stabilize this one.''

The older frowns, looking closely at the holograms. ''I can't really follow you. What did we use on E1 again?'' he asks, and Jirou smirks, pulling up some files. Kazuo studies them for a moment, before nodding slowly. ''Okay, E1 was resisting which caused a reaction in the mental brain waves, thus making the process unstable… once we got rid of that resistance, the brain waves stabilized which also stabilized the process. So, what exactly does this have to do with E11 and E12?''

His brother nods at his words, then answers the question. ''E11 and E12 are, as you can see, also very unstable, caused by their brain waves. We've seen this a few times already, and we've proved this with E1. We've also seen that once the experiments are not resisting, the progress goes smoothly.''

Kazuo nods in understanding. ''Of course, thoughts and emotions effect the brain waves. The chemicals we use change the wavelength from the brain waves, which causes the desired effect. That's the method we've been using ever since we started this experiment. What about it?''

''E12 has given up more than once, same goes for E11, but the two of them have shown that they can bring the other to resist again. The two of them are, in that aspect, completely dependent on the other. Their growing link is also influencing them more than they can imagine – their emotions are, unconsciously, affecting each other. When one of them is fighting, the other will follow his example far easier than when both of them are going with the process. If we can convince one of them to give up…'' the younger trails off, deep in thought.

Kazuo smiles at the idea. ''Yes, that will have the desired effect… but that has happened before. How can you be so sure the other won't pull him back again? That's what is what has happened so far. Like a cycle…''

A small smile starts to grow on the coach's face. ''Imagine, if we can get E11 so far to give up again, and turn his brainwaves against those of E12. Then, we can start to influence E12, slowly turning his brain waves to match those of E11 again. You see, they're brain waves are almost the same right now, which is the idea of the experiment, but they're both _against_ the chemicals, and that makes the progress that we already made useless. So, in other words, we first force E11 to go along with the chemicals, and then use that to adjust E12's brain waves to those of E11. Get it?''

Jirou looks expectantly at his brother, whose expression slowly turns to surprise. ''That…'' begins the oldest, staring at the youngest, ''…is brilliant. Can you make the preparations?''

''Give me an hour.''

* * *

An hour later, a sudden reading on the holograms catches the attention of the brothers. As they look towards the different holograms which show E11's and E12's vitals, and the camera which shows the Kanashimi clubroom, the both of them are surprised to find the new information.

''It's time,'' says Jirou, gaining the attention of Kazuo. ''If we wait any longer, their resistance will become stronger and it will be too late for us to do something about it. We have to act now, or else their bodies will win the fight against the chemicals. The preparations are done, we just have to turn E11's brain waves.''

Kazuo gets a determined look in his sapphire blue eyes, nodding. ''Well then, bring him here.'' With that, the younger brother leaves the room. He is silent while walking through the white halls of Kanashimi Jr High. He reaches the soccer building and enters it. Then, the coach arrives at the doors of the clubroom. They open, and the man enter the room to see the team.

Shimizu is looking at Haru, who is staring coldly at the captain. Another second-year, Ueno, is standing a few feet away, glaring at the captain and Haru. The rest of the team is looking at the scene, but when the doors open, the man gets all the attention.

Jirou is the one to break the cold and thick silence. He is, after all, the coach. ''Sakaki.'' The redhead narrows his eyes when he hears his name. ''Come with me.''

Again, he walks through the white halls of the school, but this time, a soft pair of footsteps accompany him. When the two males arrive at Kazuo's office, Haru freezes and glares at Jirou, who makes an annoyed noise. Haru sighs, and enters the office, where the director is sitting.

''Ah,'' he smiles pleasantly when he sees the boy. ''Sakaki Haruki. Please, take a seat.'' He gestures to the chair standing on the other side of his writing desk. Slowly, Haru sits down and Jirou sits down in another chair standing next to Kazuo's. ''So, Sakaki,'' begins the oldest, smiling pleasantly. ''You've been starting to go against our orders lately, haven't you?''

Haru freezes, and Jirou takes over. ''You've been having meetings with an ex-Raimon player, haven't you? Matsukaze Tenma.'' A hologram appears above the writing desk, showing the brunet. Jirou leans forward, leaning on the desk and placing his chin on his folded hands. ''Well, Sakaki, we don't really like that. So now, you're going to do _exactly as we say_. Do you understand?'' there is a dangerous tone in his voice, and Haru unconsciously shivers.

Then, his orange eyes narrow. ''And what if I don't?''

''Well, if you don't… see for yourself.'' Jirou smirks, and more holograms appear.

Haru's mouth falls open as he stares at the holograms in shock and horror. Then he turns to look at the twins, and he grits his teeth. ''You wouldn't-'' he starts, but is cut off by Kazuo.

''Oh, don't worry, we would. You see, Sakaki, nothing will stop us.'' Haru looks at the holograms again, clenching his fists in anger. A small smile appears on the face of the director, less noticeable than his brother's grin, but holding the same amount of sick pleasure. ''So, are you willing to listen to us _now_?''

* * *

 **I was actually planning on writing another part. But the part I wanted to write didn't really fit after this, and I decided to stop it here.**

 **Well, dear readers, tell me, who has an idea of Kazuo's and Jirou's plan? Ah, I wonder~ please let me know in the reviews!**

 **Anyway, I hope the next chapter will be up in the next few days! Thanks for reading~!**

 **\- Yara Meijer**


	12. Revealed

**The chapter everyone has been waiting for! Ooh, hope you will like the cliffhanger~**

 **Onto the reviews!**

 _ **Coco Baldwin**_ **: Hahaha, yes, you are very close~**

 _ **Frwt**_ **: Tell me about it. It definitely is, huh?**

 **Well, that was all. And short. But anyway, I don't own except for my OCs~**

 **Please enjoy!**

* * *

 _Haru freezes, and Jirou takes over. ''You've been having meetings with an ex-Raimon player, haven't you? Matsukaze Tenma.'' A hologram appears above the writing desk, showing the brunet. Jirou leans forward, leaning on the desk and placing his chin on his folded hands. ''Well, Sakaki, we don't really like that. So now, you're going to do exactly as we say. Do you understand?'' there is a dangerous tone in his voice, and Haru unconsciously shivers._

 _Then, his orange eyes narrow. ''And what if I don't?''_

'' _Well, if you don't… see for yourself.'' Jirou smirks, and more holograms appear._

 _Haru's mouth falls open as he stares at the holograms in shock and horror. Then he turns to look at the twins, and he grits his teeth. ''You wouldn't-'' he starts, but is cut off by Kazuo._

'' _Oh, don't worry, we would. You see, Sakaki, nothing will stop us.'' Haru looks at the holograms again, clenching his fists in anger. A small smile appears on the face of the director, less noticeable than his brother's grin, but holding the same amount of sick pleasure. ''So, are you willing to listen to us now?''_

* * *

''That was surprising.''

Kirino's statement is met with nods from his three friends. The pink-haired defender looks in the direction where his young captain just disappeared, before turning to face his teammates. Kurama looks angry, Hamano confused, Shindou's face is unreadable, and Sangoku seems worried. Kirino frowns when he sees the keeper's expression. After a moment, the teen speaks up. ''And, not to mention, weird.'' They all look at him in surprise and confusion. ''I mean, have you ever seen Tenma get angry like that? And has he ever been angry at us, his friends?''

Kirino's frown deepens when he realizes what Sangoku means. ''Now that you say that… yeah, that was weird. I've seen him get angry a few times, but he's never been that…'' he searches for the right word.

''Aggressive?'' offers Hamano, and when all eyes turn to him, he shrugs. ''I mean, he looked like he was ready to attack us if we tried to stop him. Almost… like a hunted animal, or something…'' the boy trails off, waiting for the reactions of his teammates.

''Yeah…'' mutters Shindou absently. The ex-captain looks deep in thought as he stares at the ground. The others exchange a look, wondering what's on his mind.

''Shindou…?'' the wavy haired boy looks up when he hears his name, and Kirino continues. ''What are you thinking about?''

The game maker sighs. ''It's just…'' he stops, hesitating. The curious looks from his teammates force him to continue. ''Well, I was thinking that it looks like Tenma is… drifting away.''

''What do you mean, Shindou?'' Kurama furrows his eyebrows, dark eyes studying the game maker.

Shindou sighs again and sits down on the bench, staring at the river. ''After our match against Kanashimi, we didn't really have any contact with Tenma. He said that this 'friend', Haru… he said he met him after the match, when we didn't have practice. Clearly, he's had a lot of contact with this Haru, judging from that call.'' He pauses again, and Sangoku gestures for him to go on. ''Back when he suddenly collapsed at Teikoku, he was on the phone before that, remember? Did anyone see the caller id?'' he asks his teammates.

''Now that you mention it…'' concern and suspicion starts to show on Kirino's face. ''He never got called before, it must have been his new friend. And I think… he said something about meeting someone and… candy. Just like today,'' mutters the defender, and Shindou smiles at him.

''Your good memory does come in handy, Kirino.'' Then, his face turns serious. ''Anyway, I think he and his friend have been in contact with each other a lot. It's almost like… like Tenma is drifting away from us, and turning to that Haru person. And then you have the problem of his worsening health.''

''What do you mean?'' Sangoku frowns, the concern for his young captain growing stronger by the minute. ''Isn't it just a side effect from losing his Keshin and Mixi Max?''

Shindou shakes his head. ''No other Keshin-user has gotten sick. So it probably doesn't have to do with that, but… Tenma has always been healthy, remember? Why would he suddenly become sick like that…'' his eyes widen in shock. ''Sangoku-san, what did you just say?''

The keeper looks at him in confusion, but answers the question nonetheless. ''I asked you what you meant when you talked about Tenma's health…'' he trails off when he sees Shindou shaking his head.

''No, after that.''

''Um…'' Sangoku thinks for a moment. ''Well, I thought it might be a side effect from losing his Keshin and Mixi Max…''

Shindou gasps, earning concerned looks from his friends. ''Oi, Shindou, what's wrong?'' asks Kurama, trying to conceal the worry in his voice. Not that it is working.

The wavy haired boy suddenly stands up, shocking the others. ''Damn, why didn't I think of this before…?'' finally, he turns to his friends. ''Everything started after we played against Kanashimi. The disbanding of Raimon's soccer club. The members of the soccer club who lost contact. Tenma's 'sickness' and his so-called 'friend'. The information about those experiments…'' he grits his teeth. ''Damn! Why didn't I see it? How can I call myself a game maker when I can't see something so _simple_?!''

''Shindou! What are you talking about?'' Shindou's eyes meet those of Kirino, and the defender sighs. ''What is it that you didn't see?''

''Kirino, _how_ did we lose our Keshin? And our Mixi Max? And more importantly, _when_?''

Kirino looks at his friend in shock. ''Um… I don't know…? After our match against Kanashimi?''

Shindou nods. ''Exactly! _After_ our match against Kanashimi! We lost our Keshin and Mixi Max _after_ playing against the school whose director and coach _experiment_ on their players. How do you think they stole our Keshin?'' his friends' eyes widen in horror and realization. ''Those experiments have something to do with this.''

''So… so do you think that they e-experimented on _us_ , too?'' asks Hamano in a horrified voice. ''But… but don't you think that maybe the Kanashimi players absorbed them or something?''

The ex-captain shakes his head grimly. ''No. At the end of our match, my Keshin was exhausted, but it was still there. We lost our Keshin _after_ the match. I think… I think that I first noticed that it was gone a few hours after the match… no, wait, that's wrong. About half an hour after the end of the match… but what happened then?'' muses the wavy haired player.

Kirino, the only other Keshin-user present, frowns. ''I think… after the match…'' he freezes. ''W-we played at Kanashimi Jr High, right?'' his friends nod in confusion. ''The most important question here is… _how_ do the experiments work?'' this question is answered with even more confused looks, and Kirino explains himself. ''I mean… what do they use? If I should guess… chemicals, or something like that. That's one of the most used methods, and it's easy to hide, too. The only reason why someone would test blood, is during a check-up by the doctor, which doesn't happen much. Really, it's obvious.''

Shindou catches on. ''After our match… the Kanashimi managers offered us drinks.'' Time seems to freeze at this conclusion, and the Raimon players look at each other in horror. Shindou swallows harshly, but forces himself to continue. ''I-if they really use chemicals, it would've been easy to put in the drinks without us noticing something. That would also explain why our Keshin have returned… our bodies have gotten rid of the chemicals, thus stopping the effects it had on us.''

''But, Shindou…'' the ex-captain turns his gaze to Kurama. ''What exactly has Tenma to do with this? That's what you said. 'Why didn't I see it'? _What_ didn't you see?''

The game maker hesitates. ''I'm missing something here… let's see, after the match, Tenma suddenly got this new friend. Then, he got sick… but Aoi and Shinsuke said that they met him here, right? So, obviously, he was feeling good enough to go out… then why didn't he go to school? But, anyway, he was there when Raimon reformed, and during training… Hamano, you said that he was distracted during training, right?''

The blue-haired boy nods. ''Yeah. When I tried to talk to him, he seemed very uncomfortable. And during practice, too. It just looked like he was… I don't know. It didn't look like when he practiced before.'' The boy stops for a moment, before he suddenly realizes something. ''And sometimes, it looked like he was in pain.''

''In pain…?'' Shindou trails off, frowning. ''Shinsuke and Aoi said that he looked like he was in pain, too, when he talked to them. That day when he was absent from school, remember?'' the others nod. ''But the first-years said that the teacher said that Tenma was sick. So why would he be in pain? I mean, there's a difference between 'being sick' and 'being in pain'. So where's the connection? The Kanashimi-Raimon match, Tenma's sickness, and his weird behavior… we're missing something. But what?''

Sangoku puts a hand on Shindou's shoulder, and the younger looks up from his musings in surprise. The older boy smiles encouragingly. ''Shindou. You don't have to figure this out all by yourself.'' Shindou's eyes widen when he hears that. ''We can do this like we've always done. As a team.''

The keeper smiles at his other friends. ''Let's get Raimon together.''

* * *

''Haruka… I don't have time for this. I still have to call Kageyama about the-'' Kidou stops when his younger sister glares at him.

''I don't care, onii-chan! That can wait! Right now, there's something else that you have to do!'' the woman pushes her brother towards the Steel Tower Plaza.

When the two arrive at the top of the stairs, Kidou freezes, memories flashing for his eyes. His breath stocks, but he shakes it off, instead opting to look at his sister. ''Haruka, why are we here?''

At that moment, two other people arrive. Kidou looks surprised at his old teammate, whose sister is currently dragging him to the other two. ''Nii-chan, please? For me?'' Yuuka looks at him with wide eyes, and Gouenji sighs. ''Please? I'm worried about you…''

Then, the forward pats her head and smiles a soft smile that is reserved for the girl. ''Fine. If you really want it…'' the teen smiles brightly when she hears his answer, and Gouenji finally notices the other two siblings. ''Kidou? Why are you here?''

Before Kidou can answer, a voice disrupts them. ''Natsumi! Where are we going?!'' the two men look at the direction of the voice, and the two females share a knowing smile. ''N-Natsumi! Wait up!''

''Since when is Raimon's famous coach so slow? I expected more from you, Endou-kun!'' says another, female voice, and finally, the two other people show themselves. Natsumi and Endou arrive, and Endou looks surprised at the others.

''Kidou? Gouenji?'' the two of them shrug, and Natsumi chuckles. Endou turns to his wife. ''Natsumi? What's going on?''

''Well, we,'' she gestures to the other two females, ''decided that all of you could take a break. And it's been a while since you all just met up and played soccer.''

Yuuka smiles at her. ''Actually, it was you, Natsumi-san, who called us about Endou-san.''

The three men start to protest. Haruka holds up a hand. ''No! You might me busy, but this won't make a difference. Working until you collapse isn't a good option, so I suggest that you, gentlemen, shut up and _do as we say_.'' At her sweet smile, the three men shiver, immediately nodding.

Because, really, angry wives and sisters are _scary_.

Yuuka smiles brightly. ''So, for the next three hours, _no_ talk about all your problems with Raimon's soccer club. Understood?''

After the three females leave, the three friends are alone at the Steel Tower Plaza. Sighing, Endou leans on the balustrade and looks at Inazuma Town. ''This place… it holds so many memories…'' his voice is carried away in the soft breeze.

Gouenji and Kidou share a look when they hear the tired voice of their old captain. His proud stance is gone, revealing the exhausted young man underneath. And suddenly, they understand _why_ exactly Natsumi called their sisters. She must have seen how truly exhausted her husband was, and decided that his two oldest friends might help.

The two men join their friend, staring at the sight beneath them. ''Yeah…'' agrees Gouenji in a soft voice. ''You used to practice here all the time.''

Kidou nods, a nostalgic smile on his face. ''We met up here, after I officially joined Raimon, remember?''

Endou sighs, a smile that mirrors Kidou's on his face. ''Has it really been ten years since then?''

Gouenji nods, smiling too. ''We were so young back then. We had no idea what we would become… what kind of friends we would become.''

''We've grown up. But Kidou…'' the game maker turns to his old captain, who grins at him. ''I do miss your cape.'' His two friends let out surprised laughs at the joke, and Endou shrugs. ''What? That cape was so… Kidou, y'know? Just like the goggles.''

The forward looks teasingly at the game maker. ''Yeah, why did you wear that cape anyway? You only wore it over your soccer uniform.'' His smile widens. ''Imagine, you wearing a cape in class. That would've pissed off the teachers even more.''

The captain grins. ''Yeah, they were always annoyed with you. I don't think it's because of your grades, but more because of your attitude.'' He leans back. ''You finished as the best of our year, didn't you?''

Kidou shrugs. ''Well, what can I say? My father wanted me to be the best.'' Then, he flashes a rare grin. ''And someone had to be the smart one of us. I mean, Endou was an idiot-''

''Hey!''

''-and Gouenji always acted way too cool to get top grades. I had to keep up my 'genius strategist' status.''

The three friends laugh at the jokes about their past. They joke around a little more, when Endou's eyes soften. ''Yeah… it was so easy back then…'' the exhaustions shines through again. ''So what changed…?''

''We grew up.'' Kidou nods at Gouenji's statement.

Endou sighed again. ''When? When did we have the time to grow up…? At what moment did we change so much? From idiotic, carefree best friends, to mature adults with responsibilities. I want to go back to those days…''

Gouenji and Kidou know that it is serious when they hear Endou say that. The normal Endou would smile and talk about all the amazing things they achieved, not talk about the easier days. The two men share a look, wondering when exactly their friend became so… different. When _did_ he grow up? When did the carefree, smiling, idiotic captain disappear?

And the both of them realize that, with everything that was going on with Fifth Sector… they lost contact with their friend, the one who gave them so much. Even with the soccer world in such chaos… was it really worth it? Was their friendship with the brunet really a price they had to pay?

''Well then, let's go back.'' Endou looks at Gouenji surprised, who holds up a soccer ball that the other two hadn't noticed before. ''Even for a short while… let's go back.''

Kidou nods. ''Yeah. Just for a moment, let's go back to those three boys who always played soccer together… who didn't have to worry about soccer tournaments, or growing up, or teams and experiments… for a moment, let's be those boys who just had fun while playing soccer with each other.''

The captain gapes at his two friends, shocked at their words. He always missed the old days, but… he never noticed that they missed it too. He never noticed… that maybe, _maybe_ the two friends who accepted him, where he could just be himself… he never noticed that they are still there. After everything that happened with Fifth Sector… he thought that the past was gone, where it belonged: in the past.

But it's not. The past… is still there. Even though they've grown up…

The past isn't gone.

And then, an old, familiar smile appears on Endou's face. He nods brightly. ''Yeah. Let's go back.''

* * *

''That is quite disturbing.'' All eyes turn to Kariya when he says that, and the teal haired boy sweat drops. ''Eh…''

''Disturbing, Kariya? Seriously?'' asks Midori dryly. ''You just heard a theory about being used as experiments, and all you can say is that it is 'quite disturbing'?'' asks the manager, and the defender simply shrugs.

''So, where is Tenma?'' asks Tsurugi, looking at Shindou, who is sitting in front of the group. The Raimon Eleven are in their clubroom, having just heard about Shindou's theory about Kanashimi.

The ex-captain sighs and shakes his head. ''Yeah… that's another point we wanted to talk about.'' This earns confused looks. Why would Shindou want to talk about their captain? ''Maybe you guys noticed that Tenma has been acting… strange, lately.''

''Well, that's to be expected, after what happened during the Kanashimi match,'' says Kurumada, and some of the players nod.

Shindou, however, shakes his head again. ''No, that's not what I mean.'' He pauses for a moment to gather his thoughts. ''Today… Sangoku-san, Kurama, Hamano, Kirino and myself saw Tenma at the riverbank. We talked for a while, when he got a call. In the end… it looked like the caller said something quite shocking. Tenma's words were literally, 'Haru, I'm scared'.'' This earned slightly disturbed looks. ''And he really did look scared. When we asked, he said it was 'just a friend' and that we didn't have to worry about it. After Kurama took some… drastic actions,'' the forward huffs at this, ''Tenma told us that it was a friend whom he had met a few weeks ago, after the Kanashimi match. When we tried to talk to him about it, he got angry. And I mean _really_ angry.''

Hamano nods. ''Yeah, he looked like a hunted animal. Almost like he would attack us if we tried to stop him.'' The disturbing looks grow. After all, their captain almost _never_ gets angry, especially not at his team.

Kirino is the one to continue. ''Well, we talked about the theory about Kanashimi… and about how weird Tenma has been acting. It all started after the Kanashimi match.''

The ex-captain nods, picking up. ''His sickness…'' looks of realization cross the faces of the Raimon team. ''Aoi, Shinsuke and Hamano said that it looked like he was in pain when they saw him and during training with the other schools. Right?'' he looks at the two first-years, who nod hesitantly. ''Why would he be in pain? Everyone told us that he was sick, right? So why would he be in pain…'' the game maker starts to muse again. ''Kanashimi, the sickness, his weird behavior… he's so… _absent_. And then there's that new friend… where is the connection?''

The players share a questioning look, and Kirino shrugs. ''He's been like that ever since he realized that something was wrong. But right now, it's like we're missing a piece. We think that Kanashimi has something to do with Tenma's behavior. Remember, at Teikoku, when he collapsed?'' at the nods he receives, the pink-haired defender continues. ''He was talking to his friend on the phone, too. Personally, I think that that friend has something to do with it.''

Shindou looks up, eyes narrowing. ''What makes you say that?''

Kirino opens his mouth to answer, but Tsurugi beats him to it. ''It makes sense. Tenma's been meeting with this Haru for a while now, and they've been calling, too. And both times when he really acted weird, it was just after a call from that boy. But because it has happened only two times in our presence, we don't have enough information to come to a conclusion… it might be a coincidence,'' states the first-year, and Shindou nods at his words.

''Ano…'' the players look at Hikaru, who looks very uncomfortable at receiving all the attention. ''What did you say that that boy's name was again?'' he asks.

''Haru,'' answers Kirino in confusion. ''Why?''

Hikaru frowns. ''It's just… that name seems familiar. Give me a moment, please.'' He walks towards the computer that is connected to the screen which they use to show information about their opponents. After a moment, he smiles. ''Got it.'' At the questioning looks, the boy explains. ''Well… last week, I was going home, when I saw Tenma-kun. And he was with someone.'' Shocked sounds come from the players. ''I didn't recognize the guy, but he had red hair in a ponytail. It was too far away to see his face… but he reminded me of someone… and that name, Haru… but I think I figured out who it is. Actually, there's no question about it. It is him.''

''Then, who is it?'' asks Shindou sharply.

Hikaru hesitates for a moment longer, before answering. ''Well… his name is Sakaki Haruki.'' He turns the screen on, showing a picture of a boy with blazing, orange eyes and red hair pulled in a high ponytail. He wears a familiar soccer jersey, and the players stare at the screen in shock. ''He's a midfielder for Kanashimi Jr High,'' finishes Hikaru, swallowing harshly.

Shindou stares at the screen, mouth slightly open and eyes wide. He can't believe this… Tenma, their captain, is friends with a _Kanashimi_ player? When he speaks, his voice is not louder than a whisper, but everyone hears it through the silence that fills the room.

''No way…''

* * *

 **And finally, Raimon has found out about Haru! The long awaited chapter! So, what will they do now? Ooh, I can't wait~! Read about it in the next chapter, which will be up tomorrow or the day after if my inspiration doesn't leave me~**

 **\- Yara Meijer**


	13. Compromise and Capnapping

**Hey everyone~! Finally, Raimon's reaction!**

 _ **Coco Baldwin**_ **: well, here it is~! But the adults won't find out yet, but in one of the next few chapters. Hahaha, I'm probably a bit too late to wish you a happy 4** **th** **of July… so I'll wish you a happy 6** **th** **of July instead… or a late happy 4** **th** **of July?**

 _ **Frwt:**_ **Hahaha, good, you're curious~! That means I did a good job with the last chapter! Well, wait no more, my friend, because here it is! The big revelation!**

 _ **Saphir Heart/Hey**_ **: Again, welcome to fanfiction! First, your idea about the adults is a good one, but I'm afraid that it won't work with the way the story is going. Really, if there was a way, I would immediately write it, but sadly… shame. Question: Why were you thinking WTF? (And I don't mind the words), but I'm curious why. By the way 'surely' is a word! Well, I guess that Saphir Heart is the one who always reviews my stories, hmm? Or maybe the ice cream man, that's possible too. Just kidding~! :P Oh hahaha, I forgot about that… by the way, you also can't upload stories yet~ I probably should've told you in the PM I sent you… Anyway, no problem~! Happy to help! Thanks for the cookies. Good luck with dancing the Macarena. Hahaha, oh, that reviewing thing caused trouble for me too! Anyway, this reply is getting too long. I'll be waiting for your PM tomorrow~!**

 **Disclaimer: don't own, except the obvious~**

 **I will no longer torture you, my dear readers. Welcome to the twelfth chapter of Stand!**

* * *

 _''Then, who is it?'' asks Shindou sharply._

 _Hikaru hesitates for a moment longer, before answering. ''Well… his name is Sakaki Haruki.'' He turns the screen on, showing a picture of a boy with blazing, orange eyes and red hair pulled in a high ponytail. He wears a familiar soccer jersey, and the players stare at the screen in shock. ''He's a midfielder for Kanashimi Jr High,'' finishes Hikaru, swallowing harshly._

 _Shindou stares at the screen, mouth slightly open and eyes wide. He can't believe this… Tenma, their captain, is friends with a_ _Kanashimi_ _player? When he speaks, his voice is not louder than a whisper, but everyone hears it through the silence that fills the room._

 _''No way…''_

* * *

Tenma is sitting in his room, staring blankly at the wall. Sounds and images flash for his eyes, memories that aren't his. It's been happening a lot the past few days. Sensations and images coming from his link with Haru. He has also been feeling strange emotions at random times. He has realized that this is what Haru was talking about.

Suddenly, his phone rings. The brunet knows that it isn't Haru, so who would call him? He takes out his phone, surprised to see the caller id. ''Shinsuke…?'' he mutters surprised, before picking up. ''Hello?''

'' _Uh… Tenma? It's me, Shinsuke.''_

The brunet frowns when he hears Shinsuke's hesitant voice. ''Yes? Can I help you with something?''

'' _Would you please come to the clubhouse?''_

At that question, Tenma frowns. ''Why?'' he asks cautiously. He has a bad feeling about this.

Shinsuke stutters something before answering. _''Well… w-we want to talk to you about something.''_

''We?''

'' _Ah…''_ Shinsuke sounds like he is caught doing something bad, which doesn't help to settle Tenma's worries. _''The rest of the team, I mean. Could you come please?''_

''I guess… it can't hurt…'' answers Tenma after a moment, and to his surprise, Shinsuke gives a sigh of relief. ''See you soon.''

'' _Yeah, we'll be waiting in the clubroom.''_

The line cuts off, and Tenma stares at his phone. ''Okay, that was weird.'' He walks down the stairs, where he sees Aki.

''Ah, Tenma? Are you going somewhere?'' asks the woman surprised.

Tenma smiles at her. ''Yeah, some friends… Bye!'' he leaves the house, walking towards his school. During the walk, he wonders what his team could possibly want, and a sense of dread spreads through his stomach. He thinks… no, he _knows_ what this is about.

When the brunet arrives at the club building, the sun is starting to sink behind the horizon. The captain enters the building, walking through the abandoned halls. When he reaches the door to the clubroom, he pauses, trying to calm himself down. Then, he enters the room.

Shindou is sitting on the table in front of the screen, with Hikaru standing next to the computer. The rest of the Raimon Eleven are scattered over the seats. They all turn to look at Tenma when he enters, eyes filled with shock, anger and suspicion. They are watching him like he is a dangerous creature that could attack any moment. But that's not what shocks the brunet the most.

No, it's the picture of a certain redhead on the screen.

Tenma stops when he sees the picture. He was right. This is about Haru.

The brunet smiles tiredly. ''So you figured it out, huh?''

Shindou narrows his eyes at the midfielder. ''You're not going to deny it?'' he asks, and Tenma's eyes flash to him.

The captain shrugs. ''What is there to deny? Obviously, you've figured it out. I can try to say that it's not true, but I don't like lying and, judging from the way you're looking at me, you won't believe me anyway.''

''So it's true…?'' Shindou trails off, hoping beyond hope that their suspicions are wrong.

Those hopes die down when he sees Tenma's nod. ''Yes, it is.'' His eyes turn hard when he continues. ''I am, indeed, friends with Sakaki Haruki from Kanashimi Jr High.''

Angry shouts fill the room, but one shout in particular catches Tenma's attention. ''Why?!'' shouts Kurumada, who suddenly stands up. ''Why would you betray us like that? Don't you know what that team of his has done?!''

The brunet takes a step backward in shock. ''I-I didn't betray you!'' he exclaims. He expected his team to be angry, but not like this.

Kurumada jumps forward, looking like he is ready to punch the brunet. ''Of course you did! Don't you remember? Those bastards destroyed our team! And they don't even care!''

''T-that's not true!'' protests the brunet. This has the opposite effect: his team gets even angrier. ''Haru's not like that!''

Kurama's eyes are blazing with fire, when he stands up. ''So you're on first name basis, huh?!''

More shouts sound through the room, and Tenma flinches away from the angry eyes looking at him. This is getting really bad, and fast. Obviously, his teammates are too angry to really realize what they're doing, and if something doesn't shake them awake, the consequences can be horrible. His grey eyes meet those of Shindou, who is still staring at him in shock.

When the ex-captain meets the brunet's eyes, he is alarmed when he sees the look of caution and fear in them. Shindou shakes out of his daze, realizing what is happening, and coming to the same conclusion as Tenma, as the captain's eyes beg him to do something.

The eye contact is broken when Tenma tears his gaze away to look at the angry players before him. ''P-please!'' he begs. ''You have to trust me on this!''

''Trust? Trust?! Like how you betrayed our trust by teaming up with those bastards?!'' finally, Kurumada loses control, and raises his fist to punch the brunet.

Just a second before his fist makes contact with Tenma's face, a hand catches his fist. The black-haired defender looks at the game maker in shock, whose bangs are shadowing his eyes.

When the wavy haired player speaks, his voice sounds strong and warning. ''Kurumada-san, I don't think you want to do that. Do you even realize what you almost did?''

Kurumada's eyes slide to Tenma, whose eyes are filled with fear. The third-year stumbles back in shock when he finally realizes what he tried to do, and he sends an apologetic glance at the first-year. He doesn't want to hurt the boy, but his short temper took over for a moment.

Quietly, Shindou breathes a sigh of relief when the third-year backs down. He turns and faces the young captain, who sends him a grateful look. The game maker nods once, letting a small smile show on his face, before becoming serious. ''So, Tenma, care to explain?''

The brunet sighs, and nods. He moves to sit on one of the chairs, and his team settles around him, curious looks in their eyes. Luckily, the situation from just a moment before stopped them from doing anything rash that they would regret later. The brunet hesitates for a moment, trying to think of where to start. Then, he opens his mouth and starts speaking.

''I met Haru about two-and-a-half weeks ago. When I saw him, he was sitting at the bench by the riverside. The moment I recognized him, I wanted to walk away… but then I saw the bandage.'' The brunet pauses for a moment, and Shindou and Tsurugi share a look, already knowing where this is going.

''So, of course, you decided to talk to him,'' says Shindou with a small smile, and Tenma nods in agreement. ''Well, that's you.''

''I went down, and I talked with him,'' continues Tenma. ''It was kind of awkward at first, but then, Haru told me about his reason for playing for Kanashimi.'' This earns curious looks form his teammates. ''He told me that his younger sister is very sick, and that his parents didn't have the money to pay her hospital bills… when Haru suddenly got an offer from a school, Kanashimi. He had to join the soccer team, and they would pay the bills.''

''That's suspicious…'' mutters Kirino. He meets Tenma's eyes. ''And he didn't think anything about it?''

Tenma shakes his head. ''He did. The moment he met Ishikawa Jirou and Ishikawa Kazuo, he didn't trust him. But it was an offer he couldn't refuse… and that's how he ended up with Kanashimi. I told him about how my love for soccer started, and well… we just became friends. The day after, while I was getting ready for school, I suddenly blacked out.''

Tsurugi is the one to interrupt this time. ''Blacked out? What happened?'' asks the forward, who has been silent from the moment Tenma arrived.

Grey meets orange, and Tenma shakes his head. ''I don't know. My head started to hurt a lot, that's the last thing I remember. Aki-nee told me to stay home, but she also said that I could leave the house if I felt good enough. That's when I saw Aoi and Shinsuke. A few days later, I heard about the experimenting.'' The captain pauses again, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. ''My first thought was Haru. Then, I met him again. I was buying groceries when I suddenly saw him. We spent the rest of the afternoon talking, and then Aki-nee and I left for Teikoku. During our training last week, I called with Haru, and we also met up a few times. Last time he called me was this afternoon, and well, you know the rest of the story.''

When the captain finishes, the team keeps quiet for a while. The silence is eventually broken by Shindou, who sighs. He looks up, meeting Tenma's eyes, and smiles softly. ''I understand what happened now… really, that's just like you. But still,'' the small smile disappears, and his brown eyes look at the brunet in concern. ''You have to understand what we mean, Tenma. We don't like it when you hang out with a Kanashimi player.''

The brunet stays quiet for a while, before looking up slowly. ''Don't… don't you trust me?'' His question is met with silence and surprised looks. Then, Shindou starts to chuckle, and Tenma looks at him in confusion. ''Shindou-san…?''

The former captain shakes his head good-naturally, and smiles at the brunet. ''Of course we trust you, Tenma. The one we don't trust, is Sakaki Haruki.''

''Haru isn't a bad person!'' protest Tenma immediately, and Shindou holds up a hand to stop him.

''That's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is that he is from Kanashimi, and that the Ishikawa twins could be using him to get to you. He probably doesn't want to, but if they threaten his sister… it's just like what happened to Tsurugi,'' says the game maker.

Tsurugi nods from where he is leaning against the wall with closed eyes. ''Yeah. You saw how I was before. I would do anything to carry out Fifth Sector's orders, if it would mean that my brother would get the operation. Sakaki might be the same.'' He opens his eyes, his orange gaze piercing Tenma's grey orbs. ''People can take drastic actions if one of their loved ones is in danger. If he feels that his sister is threatened, he might be forced to work with the director and the coach, even though he doesn't want to,'' warns the forward.

''Hai…'' Tenma looks down, clearly not happy about Tsurugi's words. Then, he looks up. ''But I think that Haru wouldn't hurt me, or you, on purpose! He's not a bad person! He won't hurt us if he can help it!''

Shindou nods, smiling. ''Okay. We'll trust you on this, right, guys?'' he looks around at his teammates, who nod in agreement. He looks at Tenma again. ''But if there is a sign that he is trying to hurt Raimon, this won't end so easily,'' he warns.

Tenma nods, smiling brightly. ''Hai! Thank you, everyone!''

* * *

When Tenma arrives at training the next day, a lot of things have changed. Or rather, a lot of people have changed.

First, there is the Raimon team. After their conversation of yesterday, they are more like the friends that they used to be then the shattered team after their last official match.

Second, there is the old Raimon trio. Endou, Gouenji and Kidou are all looking better, like a weight has been lifted from their shoulders. Whatever happened between those three, it was a good thing.

And then lastly, a certain captain. Tenma first notices it when he is placing his bag on the bench, when he is suddenly knocked over. With a yelp, he falls down, on instinct closing his eyes.

For a moment, he simply lies there, when he notices a weight on his chest. The brunet opens his eyes, and stares for a moment at the boy that is half-hugging him. ''Err… Taiyou?'' he finally asks.

''Yes?'' asks the other captain cheerfully.

Tenma blinks. ''What are you doing?''

''Hugging you!''

Tenma blinks again. ''Okay… could you please let me up?'' after the two boys stand up, the brunet looks at Taiyou curiously. ''What was that all about?'' he asks.

Taiyou shrugs. ''Today it's finally your turn to reawaken your Mixi Max,'' he says, completely ignoring Tenma's question. ''The past two days, Shindou-san, Kirino-san, Shinsuke-kun and Tsurugi-kun awoke. Nishiki-san and you are the last two!''

Tenma smiles. ''Yeah!'' he looks around. ''By the way, where are the other Arakumo players?'' he asks surprised when he doesn't see any other players clad in the yellow and dark blue that belongs to the Arakumo uniform.

Taiyou smiles in answer. ''Ah, we have a match later today, so everyone's doing some late practice back at the school. I wanted to be here to finish practice with Mixi Max, so I'll be leaving in a few hours. But I'll come back after the match is finished!'' says the orange haired player.

Tenma nods in understanding. ''Ah, I see. But do we really need so much time for Mixi Max?'' he asks surprised.

The other captain shakes his head. ''No, but there are some… _other_ things I have to do here,'' answers Taiyou, grinning darkly.

''A-ah, I see…'' Tenma trails off, not used to Taiyou's ''Dark Side''.

''Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get started!''

* * *

''Mixi-trans: Arthur!'' Tenma is surrounded by a yellow light. His hair grows longer and changes to blond. The captain smiles for a moment, and holds out a hand. In his hand appears a large sword, and he holds it up high. Lights emits from the sword, and Tenma charges forward, making a slashing motion. ''King's Sword!'' Shindou is blown to the side, and Tenma shoots forward, shooting the ball in the goal.

''Good work, Tenma!'' yells Taiyou from the sidelines. ''Okay everyone, we're finished. Well done, Nishiki-san, Tenma. You've all successfully awakened your Mixi Max,'' the orange haired boy smiles at the Raimon players. ''Take a break.''

The six Raimon players all sit down on the bench, drinking water and chatting quietly, when they are joined by Kidou. The Teikoku commander stops next to Taiyou, looking at the six players on the bench. After a moment, he looks at the Arakumo captain. ''Amemiya. I take it you are finished?'' he asks.

The orange haired boy nods. ''Yes, we finished a moment ago, so I gave them a break before they can continue with training,'' he answers. ''All of them have reawakened their Mixi Max, but I think it will be a good idea to let them train with it a little more.''

Kidou nods. After all, Taiyou is the only Mixi Max instructor they have, even if he is still young. And the Teikoku commander has seen his records. If he says that Raimon should practice with Mixi Max, than that's what they're going to do. ''Okay. When does your match start?''

Taiyou takes out his phone and checks the time. ''Three hours.''

''Good.'' Kidou turns to look at the Raimon players. ''Everyone except Matsukaze can join the rest of the teams with hissatsu practice,'' he says, and five of them nod, walking away and joining the other teams. Tenma looks surprised, and Kidou smiles knowingly. ''Ah, Matsukaze, there were some players who requested some training time with you.'' This confuses the brunet even more, especially when they are joined by five other people. Kidou nods at them. ''I'll leave it to you, then.''

Taiyou joins the other five, who all smirk at the brunet. ''Uh… what is going on?'' asks the Raimon first-year confused.

Kurosaki Makoto, Seidouzan's captain, smirks at him. ''Well, we,'' he gestures to the other five, ''requested some training time with you, as Kidou-san said.''

''Some _captain_ training time,'' adds Mahoro Tadashi, Genei's captain.

''W-what?'' stammers Tenma in surprise. ''Why?''

Kishibe Taiga, Kidokawa Seishuu's captain, gestures to Taiyou. ''It was his idea, really.''

Tenma's gaze falls on Taiyou, who simply smirks darkly. Surprisingly, Shirosaki Katsuya, Hakuren's captain and ex-SEED, is the one who speaks next. ''Amemiya managed to convince us that you could use some 'captain advice', as he put it.''

Teikoku's captain nods. ''Yeah. He told us that we should 'help out our fellow captain'. Personally, I just want you to beat Kanashimi,'' says Mikado Haruma, and the other captains nod in agreement. ''What are we waiting for?''

And suddenly, Taiyou grabs Tenma's wrist, dragging him from the bench. Tenma stumbles behind in surprise. ''H-hey! Taiyou, hold up!'' Arakumo's captain simply runs even faster, and is joined by the other captains.

* * *

''So you actually went to the future?'' asks Kurosaki in surprise. The two Chrono Storm members nod at the question. ''Wow… how was it?''

At the moment, the seven captains are walking simply around, talking about Raimon's adventures. When they left Teikoku Academy, the other captains began to question Tenma about everything that happened to him since he joined Raimon, claiming it to be a 'therapy session, captain-style'.

Taiyou and Tenma share a look. ''Well… we weren't there for long, so we didn't really see much. Their clothes were different, though,'' says the brunet.

Taiyou nods. ''We met a lot of historical figures, like Jeanne d'Arc and Shokatsu Koumei…'' the boy trails off. ''We also went into the story of King Arthur.''

''King Arthur?'' the question is asked by Mahoro. ''How?''

''We created a parallel world, where the story really did exist. But because the world was still in creation when we time jumped, we became characters in the story. Taiyou was one of the Knights of the Round Table…'' Tenma trails off when he realizes where this is going.

''Yep!'' agrees Taiyou, giving the brunet a look. The captains of the other teams notice it too. ''Have you read the story?'' when the others nod, Taiyou continues. ''Well, Tenma was the main character. You should've seen his face when he saw us!''

Kishibe shakes his head good-naturally, unconsciously reminding Tenma of Shindou. ''So, what happened then?''

''One of our players got kidnapped, and we went to save her. It turned out that Perfect Cascade also became part of the stories, and we challenged them to a soccer match. That's when Tenma Mixi Maxed with King Arthur.''

''Tch. Why are we even talking about fairy tales?'' mutters Shirosaki annoyed. ''How is this a therapy session? Why are we even holding a therapy session?''

''You know, that's actually a good question,'' agrees Mikado. ''Looks like the ice-SEED does have brains after all.''

At this, Shirosaki glares at him. ''Don't call me that. I'm not a SEED anymore,'' says the Hakuren captain angrily. After seeing what Fifth Sector did, he's ashamed of ever having worked for them.

''Fine,'' mutters Mikado, understanding where the other comes from. He worked for Fifth Sector, too, after all.

Tenma frowns at the two captains. ''Being a SEED doesn't mean that you're bad. Look at Tsurugi,'' protests the brunet.

''Calm down. We're not here to fight,'' says Kurosaki, and smiles at the others. ''Why don't we have a little contest?'' he nods to an abandoned soccer field that the others hadn't noticed yet.

The other captains agree, and they quickly make teams. The teams are Mahoro, Mikado and Taiyou vs Tenma, Kishibe and Kurosaki. Because they have seven players, three forwards, three midfielders, and one keeper, Shirosaki will act as referee. The two teams take their positions, and Shirosaki nods. ''Begin!''

Even though it's not a real match, Tenma soon realizes that the other players are fighting with all their power. Apparently, they want to show the others what they, and their teams, are made of, even going so far as using Keshin.

Currently, Taiyou has the ball. Kurosaki runs to intercept him, a cloud of dark energy appearing behind him. ''Flame Demon Gazard!''

Taiyou smirks. ''Sun God Apollo!'' his Keshin appears behind him. '' **Armed**!'' his Keshin forms around his body, and everyone stares at him, never having seen Keshin Armed before. Taiyou fights against Kurosaki's Keshin for a moment, but his control is too strong, and Kurosaki loses his balance while Taiyou runs past him.

''Hey!'' yells Kurosaki good-naturally. ''That's not fair!''

''Demon God Pegasus Arc!'' Tenma slides forward, to Taiyou's surprise. '' **Armed**!'' the brunet smiles at his friend, and the two both kick at the ball at the same time. Tenma frowns when he feels the strain on his body. He's not used to Keshin Armed yet.

When his Keshin gives out, he changes the direction of the ball, so that it shoots upwards. Taiyou's Keshin dissolves too, and he stares at the ball for a moment.

''Keshin are forbidden!'' yells Shirosaki from the sidelines, fake-glaring at the three Keshin-users. ''And while we're at it, no hissatsu either!''

''Ah, come on! Don't go making up rules!'' yells Taiyou back, who looks away from the ball for a moment.

A shadow flies over his head and kicks the ball out of the air. When the shadow lands, it is revealed to be Kishibe, who smirks at the surprised looks. He doesn't hesitate a moment longer, and shoots forward, but is intercepted by Mahoro. Genei's captain steals the ball and passes to Mikado, who runs towards the goal.

He shoots, but the ball is kicked away by Tenma, who passes to Kurosaki. Mahoro tries to intercept Seidouzan's captain, but the brown-haired boy makes a sudden turn, and passes behind Mahoro, who turns to look at him.

Taiyou tries to stop Kurosaki, but with a fake, he passes Arakumo's captain, going for the shoot. ''Goal! 1-0 for Kurosaki's team!'' yells Shirosaki. ''So Mikado, who's the one with brains now?''

''Shut up, Frost Fairy!'' yells Teikoku's captain back, even though he receives the ball and starts to dribble towards the other goal. ''So you can count to one, congratulations!'' Mikado passes Tenma, going for the goal, but the ball is intercepted by Kishibe who passes it to Tenma.

The brunet runs forward, showing off his dribbling skills as he passes the other players. He reaches the goal, trying to shoot, but is stopped by Taiyou. ''Nice dribbling,'' compliments Arakumo's captain, even when he tries to steal the ball from the brunet. ''Been practicing?''

''Grand Celesta Galaxy,'' answers Tenma simply, and Taiyou steals the ball from him. The orange haired boy runs forward, and shoots.

When the ball hits the net, Taiyou cheers. ''Goal for Karasu Tengu's team! 1-1!''

Mikado turns around in a split second. '' _What_ did you call me?''

Shirosaki simply smirks at him. ''Come on, continue!'' he yells, ignoring the threats the Teikoku captain is shouting at him. And the game goes on, showing that the two teams are evenly matched.

* * *

''Hey, where's Tenma?'' Endou looks up at the question, meeting the brown eyes of Shindou.

The teams are taking a break from all the practice they've been doing, and are scattered over the field. Again, the usual limitations from different teams are gone. The only way to recognize the players is by the colors of their jersey, as the players are talking in small groups with people from other teams. The coaches are sitting on the bench.

Endou shrugs carelessly. ''Oh, the other captains have kidnapped him,'' he answers easily, and looks up when he hears choking sounds coming from the left.

Kariya, Kirino and a bunch of other players are staring at Raimon's coach in disbelief. Well, mostly. Kirino is checking Kariya to make sure that the teal head doesn't choke to death, while simultaneously staring at his coach. Ah, the wonders of multitasking.

''Why?'' asks Shindou surprised.

Endou shrugs again. ''Some special training, I believe. If you want the details, ask Kidou.'' He nods towards the Teikoku commander who is sitting a few seats away.

At that moment, seven players appear on the field. The seven captains walk towards the bench where the adults are sitting. They are all covered in mud and grass, earning questioning looks from half of the players.

When they arrive at the bench, Kidou looks up. When he sees the appearance of the seven players, he raises an eyebrow. ''I take it everything went well?''

Kurosaki smiles at the other captains before answering. ''Capnapping completed, sir,'' he says, and this earns even more confused looks.

''Cap… napping?'' Shindou sweat drops when he hears the made-up term.

Kishibe nods at him. ''Short for captain kidnapping. Gotta give it to you, though. That captain of yours sure knows how to stand his grounds,'' says the Kidokawa Seishuu captain, smiling at the brunet.

''Yeah, he defended Raimon's pride,'' agrees Mahoro, earning nods from the other captains.

Shindou turns to stare at Tenma, and the brunet smiles sheepishly. Suddenly, Raimon's captain is knocked over again. ''Taiyou! What was that for?'' protests Tenma.

Taiyou just smiles brightly. ''So? What did you think of the capnapping?'' asks Arakumo's captain.

His friend smiles brightly. ''It was fun!'' answers the brunet, and Taiyou starts to cheer.

Kidou clears his throat, earning the attention of the two captains. ''Amemiya, don't you have a match soon?''

''Oh yeah!'' Taiyou jumps up, smiling apologetic at Tenma. ''Sorry, Tenma, I have to go!''

With that, he grabs his bag. ''Good luck!'' says Tenma, and the other smiles at him.

* * *

A blue-haired man smirks coldly at the teenagers standing in front of him. They are clad in a white shirt with black lines along the collar and the end of the sleeves. The only color comes from the blue lotus logo. Furthermore, they wear black shorts and white socks with a black line running vertically. Their shoes are almost entire black, with a white line.

The man is joined by someone who looks almost exactly like him, the only differences being that he has glasses and shorter hair, and that the other has a scar on his cheek. The man with glasses smiles as the other orders the teenagers to enter the bus that is standing behind them.

The scarred man places his hand on the shoulder of one of the passing teens, and the redhead looks up at him with cold eyes. ''You know what you have to do, right?'' asks the man, and the boy nods.

''Good,'' says Kazuo, and the other draws back his hand. The redhead enters the bus, not looking back at the two men.

Jirou smirks at the other. ''After all, we have to show our gratefulness to our hosts. It's only polite,'' he says, and the director nods in agreement.

''Let's thank them by going all out, shall we?'' asks Kazuo pleasantly, and his younger brother nods. ''Arakumo Academy, here we come.''

* * *

 **Ah! Kanashimi vs Arakumo! Didn't see that coming, did ya? Well, there were some hints in chapter 10, where the Kanashimi players are talking about their next match. The captain literally says ''…they made it to the semifinal, but were beaten. They have a few players we should look out for, like Mazumi Hiroshi, a midfielder, Nebuchi Umitomo, forward, and Sata Tosamaru, the goalkeeper. Their most important player though, is the captain. He's still a first year, but has shown amazing statics-''**

 **Hahaha, anyway, that was Raimon's reaction~! I read some things that the relation between Kanashimi and Raimon would be better if Raimon learned about Haru, but honestly, that's not what I think would happen. And the reason why I chose Kurumada as the 'bad guy' here, is because of one of the first episodes of the anime, where he almost punches one of his teammates who leaves the team. This scene was inspired by that.**

 **KARASU TENGU: Oh yeah, a Karasu Tengu is a youkai. Sometimes they're mentioned as 'crow-tengu's' and Mikado's keshin is a raven, a black bird. I thought it was fitting for him :)**

 **And I really couldn't help the capnapping! I've been thinking of this ever since the other teams made an appearance, the other captains kidnapping Tenma for some training, captain-style~**

 **Anyway, I don't know when the next chapter is done. My sister's birthday is tomorrow, and the day after my aunt will visit us, so I really don't know when I have time to write~**

 **Bye bye!**

 **\- Yara Meijer**


	14. Escaping

**Hello readers! Here is chapter 13~! You guys can thank my friend Saphir Heart for this chapter, who was kind enough to inspire me to write this chapter. Otherwise, you'd probably have to wait for a month!**

 **So, thank you, Saphir Heart! I wrote this chapter especially for you~!**

 **Disclaimer: don't own, except my OCs.**

 **Reviews:**

 _ **Saphir Heart**_ **: Hey~! I know, I am very mean, right? *smiles brightly* Well, here's the answer to your questions! I hope you enoy it~!**

* * *

 _A blue-haired man smirks coldly at the teenagers standing in front of him. They are clad in a white shirt with black lines along the collar and the end of the sleeves. The only color comes from the blue lotus logo. Furthermore, they wear black shorts and white socks with a black line running vertically. Their shoes are almost entire black, with a white line._

 _The man is joined by someone who looks almost exactly like him, the only differences being that he has glasses and shorter hair, and that the other has a scar on his cheek. The man with glasses smiles as the other orders the teenagers to enter the bus that is standing behind them._

 _The scarred man places his hand on the shoulder of one of the passing teens, and the redhead looks up at him with cold eyes. ''You know what you have to do, right?'' asks the man, and the boy nods._

 _''Good,'' says Kazuo, and the other draws back his hand. The redhead enters the bus, not looking back at the two men._

 _Jirou smirks at the other. ''After all, we have to show our gratefulness to our hosts. It's only polite,'' he says, and the director nods in agreement._

 _''Let's thank them by going all out, shall we?'' asks Kazuo pleasantly, and his younger brother nods. ''Arakumo Academy, here we come.''_

* * *

An orange haired boy, clad in a blue and yellow soccer uniform, freezes when he hears the whistle that ends the match. He doesn't here the commentary on the game, doesn't hear his coach calling out to his team, doesn't hear his teammates muttering among themselves in disbelief.

The only thing he can do is look at the scoreboard in shock, not believing what his eyes are telling him. Exhaustion and despair take him over, and the boy falls to his knees. His eyes are burning, and he blinks back tears.

For a moment, he wonders if this is how his friend felt when he and his team were crushed. Then, he shakes it off. No, they lost with 136-0. He balls his fists in anger.

' _Damnit! They're just mocking us! Only using one player…_ _ **one**_ _simple player, to destroy our entire team. And that score. 13-6. They're simply playing with us! They know that we are helping Raimon! 136-0, 13-6… that is not a coincidence.'_ His gaze lands on an approaching figure.

The redhead smirks down at him when he reaches him, orange eyes burning with a cold fire. ''Pathetic. Completely pathetic.'' Taiyou gasps when he hears the words, not believing how cruel the other boy is. ''I expected more from Arakumo, honestly.''

Taiyou's eyes fill with anger, as he stands up. ''Don't talk about my team like that!'' he hisses.

The boy just smirks wider, shaking his head as if hearing something funny. ''Don't be so cold, it was only a joke, _Taiyou-kun_ ,'' he answers, whispering the last part.

Arakumo's captain shadows his eyes with his bangs. ''Shut. The. Hell. Up.''

''Oh? Didn't your mother teach you to not talk like that?'' says the other, orange eyes narrowing slightly. ''Anyway, it is time for me to go.'' He takes a step forward, stopping when he is standing next to Taiyou. ''Oh, yes, before I forget. You're friends with a certain Raimon captain, aren't you?''

Taiyou glances at him. ''What do you want with him?!'' he hisses, alarmed. _'Like hell am I going to let him hurt Tenma again.'_

The other simply smiles. ''Oh, nothing. I just want you to tell something to my _dear friend_.''

''What?!''

''Tenma didn't tell you?'' the other asks with fake surprise, and Taiyou glares at him. His orange eyes seem to glow. ''It's not important to you, anyway.''

''No! Tell me more!'' says Taiyou, placing a hand on the shoulder of the Kanashimi player when he moves forward.

The other turns around. ''Ah, so I have your attention now. Honestly, I can't say I'm surprised that Tenma didn't tell you about me.'' He stops for a moment, smirking playfully. ''How does it feel to be replaced? By a Kanashimi player, that is?'' at Taiyou's confused look, he explains. ''Haven't you noticed that he is a bit… different, lately? Haven't you noticed that he has problems?''

''Yes…'' admits Taiyou hesitantly, afraid where this is going.

''And he didn't talk to you, or any other friend from your little teams about it, did he?''

Taiyou balls his fists, and sighs. ''No…''

The other smirks. ''Of course not, he's been talking to his new friend. Me.'' Taiyou looks at him with a disbelieving gaze, and the other chuckles. '' _I_ am the one who he tells about his problems, _I_ am the one he turns to when he is in trouble. That day at Teikoku. I quote, 'Yeah. So, why did you call? ...Well, I'm pretty busy the next few days… But we can meet up after seven? …Sure. Actually, I really want to eat candy myself. And you're probably out of candy again?' Recognize that?''

Taiyou's eyes widen when he hears the same thing Tenma said when he was on the phone at Teikoku, before he collapsed on the field. ''It can't be…''

The redhead smirks darkly. ''Please tell him that Haru sends his regards.''

* * *

A few hours later, the Raimon Eleven just finish their practice match against Teikoku – the first team exercise. Shindou played as captain, because Tenma is still uncomfortable with wearing the captain band.

It's late, and the other teams are slowly heading home, leaving the Raimon Eleven alone on the field. Their coach is discussing something with Kidou and Gouenji, leaving the teens alone. They are about to go home, when footsteps sound over the field. Tenma, like his team, turns around to look at the new arrival.

Taiyou is walking towards them, eyes shadowed by his bangs. But something about him is wrong. He seems… cold. ''Taiyou…?'' asks the brunet worried. ''Are you okay? How did your match go?''

His friend finally reaches him. When his eyes meet Tenma's, the brunet is shocked to see how cold they are. Taiyou breaks the silence that has fallen over the field. '' _Haru_ sends his regards.''

''W-what?'' Tenma stutters in shock. ''H-how do you-?''

''Kanashimi.'' Taiyou's voice, filled with despair, cuts him off. ''Our match was against Kanashimi.'' Raimon freezes at this, remembering their conversation with the brunet the day before. Tenma gasps, not able to understand what the other is saying. ''Is it true, Tenma?''

The brunet balls his fists, and sighs. ''Yes. It is.''

 _SLAP!_

Shocked shouts sound over the field, as the Raimon Eleven immediately start to move. Tsurugi steps forward, grabbing Taiyou's wrist. Shindou kneels beside the fallen brunet, who is holding his cheek, shocked at the thought that _Taiyou_ just _slapped_ him.

The rest of the Raimon looks ready to interfere if Taiyou is to attack Tenma again. But the orange haired boy is simply looking down at the brunet with cold, calculating eyes. ''The score was 13-6. We were defeated by one single player. Guess who? Your so-called friend, Haru.''

At this, the accusing stares turn to Tenma, who freezes. _'H-Haru… No. That's not possible. He… he wouldn't do something like t-that… right?'_ And right then, Tenma realizes for the first time that Haru is _blocking_ their bond. Ever since the experiment started, he has been able to feel Haru, like a soft humming in the back of his head. Every day, the humming grew stronger, giving him access to Haru's mind. But now… the humming is still there, but behind it, there is something like a wall, blocking his way to Haru's mind.

Shindou's voice calls him back. ''Is it true?'' Tenma doesn't look up to see Taiyou's response, but he hears Shindou's sigh. ''I see. Tenma, you know our compromise.''

Tenma looks up, eyes wide. ''S-Shindou-san…''

This time, Shindou's eyes aren't warm. They're worried, angry, sad, and most of all, doubting. ''No. We talked about this. We _will_ tell the coach and the other teams. Please, you have to understand, Tenma.''

''He can't be trusted. Not after this happened,'' agrees Tsurugi, earning nods from the rest of the team.

Tenma can feel their pitying gazes on him. ''No…'' he whispers softly. Slowly, he stands up, not looking at anyone. ''So you're really going to tell, then?''

Shindou stands up too, and doesn't hesitate when he answers. ''Yes.''

The younger boy nods slowly. ''Okay.'' With that, he walks to the bench and picks up his bag. Then, he heads to the exit. ''Goodbye, everyone.''

* * *

The moment Tenma reaches his house, he halts. Looking through the window, he notices that the light is turned off. Aki is out with some friends, apparently, she was too stressed. Tenma chuckles dryly. ''I'm causing trouble for everyone, huh…''

He enters the house, taking of his shoes. With his shoes in his hand, he walks towards his room, not bothering to turn on the light. Once he reaches his room, he closes the door. It will take about an hour before the sun sets, which Tenma is grateful for.

He takes out a bag, and for the next ten minutes, he gathers everything that he can think of. After putting a water bottle and some food in the bag, the brunet walks towards his closet. He changes into a pair of dark grey jeans, a black shirt and a black hoodie.

Tenma checks his bag one last time, taking a look around his room. He sighs, walking towards the window. ''Goodbye,'' he whispers softly, pulling up his hood, successfully hiding his face. He opens the window, looking at the tree branch in front of it. The brunet takes a deep breath, and then jumps to the tree branch, immediately moving closer to the trunk, where the branch is thicker. After a moment, he climbs to the other side of the tree, taking a look around. Nobody has noticed him – that's good. Wouldn't do to attract attention.

He jumps on the stone wall that is surrounding the house, sitting there for a moment – a dark shadow against the slowly darkening sky. Tenma jumps down, and starts to run. He smiles when he realizes that the escape out of the house was successful, and he also avoided the camera in front of the gate.

The Raimon player moves with the dark shadows, happy to see almost no people who could stop him. When he reaches the station, it's almost entirely dark.

Tenma finally relax when the train takes off, making the distance between himself and Inazuma Town bigger with every passing minute.

* * *

''And you hid all of this from me?'' Endou's voice is calm and controlled, but one can see the disapproval in his dark eyes when he looks at the teens in front of him.

Shindou nods. ''I'm sorry, coach, but we promised Tenma. He really looked like he knew what he was doing… I'm sorry.'' He bows, followed by his team.

Kidou is looking at them, not showing any emotions behind his goggles. Gouenji's face is a blank mask too. They are both disappointed about the news that Raimon has been hiding things from them – especially something as important as a friendship between a Raimon and a Kanashimi player.

Endou sighs. ''I can understand your reasoning, and I'm not mad at you… but you should know better, Shindou. Something like this…'' he trails off.

''Well…'' Endou's eyes focus on Kirino. ''Tenma really didn't want us to tell anyone. We only learned about this ourselves yesterday,'' says the second-year, defending his team.

The coach stays quiet for a long moment, discussing things with himself. Then, he sighs. ''Fine. We'll talk about this tomorrow – _don't_ tell anyone about this. Amemiya, I would appreciate it if you kept it a secret as well – especially from your coach.'' Arakumo's captain nods.

''You're dismi-'' before he can finish, Endou's phone rings. He frowns and takes out his phone, looking at the caller id. ''Aki?'' he mutters surprised. He answers the call. ''Hello?''

'' _Endou-kun, is Tenma with you?''_ asks Aki, a slightly worried tone in her voice.

Alarmed, Endou's frown deepens. ''No, he left about an hour ago. Why?''

'' _He- he's not home. But I did find his soccer uniform on his bed, and his shoes aren't here,''_ Aki sounds like she's ready to cry. _''Did something happen?''_

Endou closes his eyes for a moment. ''Yes. Do you have any idea…?''

'' _No…''_

''Can you take a look at his room for me? Maybe there's something that can help us,'' suggest Endou, surprising even himself with how calm he sounds.

He hears the sound of footsteps and a door opening. After a moment, he hears a sob. Before the coach can say anything, Aki starts to talk. _''A note… I found a note.''_

''What does it say?''

By now, Aki is full out crying. _''It… it reads, 'Dear Aki-nee. When you find this, I'm already g-gone. I know that this will probably worry you, but there's something I have to do. I can't tell you w-what, but I promise that I will return. I'm not sure w-when, though. Love, Tenma'.''_ Aki whispers the last part. _''Endou-kun, what should I do?''_

The brunet thinks for a moment. ''I'll send help. Do not touch anything in his room, okay? It might give us some clues.'' His voice softens. ''It'll be okay, Aki.''

He hangs up, turning to look at the other people in the room. ''What's wrong, Endou?'' Gouenji's dark eyes are narrowed, easily picking up the worried expression in Endou's eyes.

The coach sighs. ''Tenma's missing.'' Shocked shouts fill the room, and he holds up a hand to stop them. ''He left Aki a note. Kidou,'' he looks at Teikoku's commander, who nods.

''Got it. I'll contact everyone who can help us with this,'' says the game maker, already leaving the room and taking out his phone.

Endou nods, turning to look at his team. They're all shocked. Shindou especially looks pale. ''C-coach…'' the young game maker stops for a moment, and Endou gestures for him to continue. ''Is it… our fault? Because of today?''

The rest of the team pales too when they hear these words. Endou shakes his head and smiles. ''Don't worry about it, everyone. Tenma wouldn't leave because he got into an argument. I think that something else is going on here.'' They relax slightly. ''Go home, get some rest.''

''But coach!'' protest Kirino before anyone else can say something. ''How can you expect us to- to _relax_ when one of our friends is _missing_?!''

Endou sighs. ''I know it's hard, but there is nothing you can do right now. I'll keep you updated about the investigation, I promise, but right now, you have to focus on practice. Please,'' says the coach softly.

Kirino studies him for a moment, joined by Shindou. The two friends share a look, before Shindou nods. ''Fine. But the moment you find something, tell me. I'll tell the rest of the team,'' says the wavy haired boy, and Endou nods, smiling softly.

After the teens leave, Gouenji and Endou are left alone. ''Endou…'' Gouenji sits down next to his old captain, looking at him in worry.

Endou smiles tiredly at him. ''Sorry, but I have to call Natsumi. Aki can use some moral support.''

He deals the number, and after a moment, he is greeted by the cheerful voice of his wife. _''Hello, Endou-kun!''_

Endou smiles. ''Hey, Natsumi. Listen, I want you to head over to Aki's. And take Haruka with you, please.''

Natsumi's voice sounds alarmed. _''Is something wrong, Mamoru? What's going on?''_

The coach sighs, running a hand through his hair. ''Tenma's missing.'' He hears Natsumi's sharp intake of breath, but doesn't give her the chance to talk. ''There have been some problems after training today, and it looks like there is more about this situation than we first expected. He left Aki a note… Kidou's heading there now, together with the others can help. At this moment, the news is being spread among all of our friends. When they hear something, we'll know.'' He pauses, sighing. ''But Aki is really distressed – please, she needs you and Haruka. And Fuyuppe, please.''

Natsumi is silent for a moment. _''Fine. I'll probably get more information over there, anyway. Love you,''_ she says.

Endou smiles at the words of his wife. ''Thanks, love you too.'' With that, they hang up, and the coach looks at Gouenji.

The forward looks at him in concern. ''Are you okay, Endou?''

His friends shakes his head. ''You know me too well, Gouenji. No, I'm not. It's all just so… messed up.''

Gouenji places a hand on his shoulder. ''It'll be okay, Endou. It just has to be.''

* * *

Tenma blinks when he feels the train slow down. Surprised, he looks around, wondering for a moment where he is. Then, he realizes what happened, and smiles to himself. ''So I'm finally here, huh?''

The brunet is the only one on the train. When the vehicle stops, he quietly exists it. The train leaves a moment later, and Tenma is alone on the abandoned train station. Holding his bag a bit tighter, the brunet takes a deep breath to calm himself. ''Okay. The next train won't leave tomorrow. There's no turning back now, so let's go,'' he mutters to himself.

The midfielder starts walking, seeing that the sky is almost entirely black. He doesn't see anyone on his way. When he finally reaches the dock, he is greeted by silence. ''Um, hello? Is someone here?'' he asks hesitantly, looking around for a sign of life.

''Hmm? What are you doing here at this hour?'' asks a voice from behind him. The brunet turns around, and sees a slightly familiar face. The man is tall, has grey hair and brown eyes. He frowns when he sees Tenma. ''Who are you?'' The brunet smiles and lets his hood down. The man frowns for a moment, before recognition appears on his face. ''You're one of those Raimon kids!''

''Hai,'' answers Tenma. ''I know I shouldn't be asking this, but I _need_ to get to the island. It's really important!'' pleads the brunet.

The man blinks and frowns. ''Where is the rest of your team?'' when Tenma doesn't answer, his frown deepens. ''Don't tell me you're here alone… does anyone know you're here?''

Tenma looks at the ground, avoiding the man's eyes. ''…No,'' he says quietly. ''They don't. I sort of… ran away…'' mutters the brunet.

The man stays quiet for a long time, and Tenma is almost thinking that he is going to call the police, when the man sighs. ''Ugh, I know I shouldn't be doing this, but… fine, I'll take you there.''

Tenma looks up in shock. ''What? Y-you will? Why?''

The other chuckles. ''I've seen you before, boy. I've seen what your team has done. You're famous in the entire land – you are the captain of the team who won the Football Frontier International, after all. I don't know what is going on here, but if you really need to go there, without telling anyone, I'll help you. I trust that you know what you're doing, right?''

Tenma sighs. ''I sure hope so…''

''Well, what're we waiting for? Let's get on board!''

A few minutes later, the boat takes off, and Tenma sighs. Stars are appearing in the sky, lighting up the dark night. The water looks black, as the boat silently cuts through the waves. The silence is only broken by the sound of the waves against the boat.

The brunet closes his eyes, letting the peaceful night surround him. Finally, he is able to breathe slowly. He made it out of Inazuma Town without anyone noticing, got on the train without any trouble, and he managed to get on the boat to his destination. Everything is going perfect.

He sighs, letting his thoughts drift to his red-haired friend. _'Haru… what happened to you? Why would you crush Arakumo like that? If I could just access our bond…'_ Tenma closes his eyes, concentrating on the blockade in his mind. He pokes it, trying to find a weak spot, but the wall doesn't give him anything. The brunet sighs again. _'Haru…'_

''Are you going to tell me why you ran away?'' asks a voice, and Tenma faces the captain of the boat.

He smiles softly. ''Well… have you heard of 'Raimon's Downfall'?'' asks the brunet, and the man nods, frowning. ''Things got complicated after that. A lot of stuff happened, and I messed up. I made a friend who… my team doesn't really like him. Then, my friend did something bad, and my team got really angry at him, and at me when I tried to defend him. But I _know_ that there is more to the story than I can see now. I know my friend. He wouldn't do something bad if he can help it. Because of a lot of things, I decided to go away. I need time to myself to figure things out, and I want to help my friend. But if I did that at home, my team would get in the way…'' Tenma trails off.

The man smiles encouragingly. ''Sounds… complicated.'' Tenma nods sadly. ''But I'll think it'll be okay. Your team is probably very angry at you and your friend, but once they hear about your disappearance… I did something like that once, too. My family always got into fights with each other. Then one day, I couldn't take it anymore!'' he takes a breath to calm himself down. ''So I left. An old friend of mine helped me, giving me a place to stay. After a week or so, my family called the police, and it got a lot harder to hide. About three weeks later, I decided to return.'' The man chuckles to himself. ''My family was so worried about me, they forgot all about the fights. And then, the fights just stopped.'' His gaze turns serious, and he looks at Tenma. ''What I want to say… your friends probably didn't notice what they had, until they lost it. They were angry and didn't think about their actions. I can't say that running away was a good thing, but it certainly wasn't a bad thing either.''

Tenma groans, realizing something important. ''Oh no. Aki-nee probably told everyone about my disappearance… and having some of the most influencing people in Japan's economy and politics will probably give them a better shot at finding me than just called the police. I'm doomed.''

The man chuckles. ''Well, can't help you with that. But if someone asks, I'll say I don't remember every passenger I get, okay?'' Tenma nods, smiling gratefully at the man. Then, the boat starts to slow down. ''Well, we're here! I wish you the best of luck with your friends.''

* * *

About fifteen minutes later, Tenma is walking around the island, looking for any sign of life. He isn't really going anywhere, knowing that his friend will come to him. So the brunet just wanders around, looking at everything and remembering the time he spent here.

Suddenly, a voice breaks the peaceful silence. ''Tenma!'' The brunet turns around, smiling at the forward. He looks exactly as he remembers him: dark hair and eyes in the same shade, slightly tanned skin and his usual clothes. The boy is sitting on a branch in one of the trees. When he sees that he has the brunet's attention, he jumps down. ''What are you doing here?''

Tenma smiles brightly. ''Hey, Shuu. It's good to see you again.''

The boy, now identified as Shuu, smiles. ''Yeah, good to see you too. But what are you doing here? Are you here with your team?'' Tenma's smile falls of his face, and Shuu blinks in surprise and worry. ''…Tenma? Is… something wrong?''

The brunet tries to smile, but Shuu can clearly see that it's fake. ''It's a long story, but… I need a place to stay. I'm not sure for how long, though…''

Shuu brightens. ''Well, you can stay here. Nobody ever comes here anyway! Well, sometimes Hakuryuu comes to visit, but he usually just calls…''

The midfielder sighs in relief. ''Thank you Shuu… You really saved me there.''

A while later, the two are sitting around a small campfire that Shuu made. ''So, what's going on?'' asks Shuu finally, noticing that his usually cheerful friend looks sad.

Tenma sighs again. ''It's a long story. Have you hear about 'Raimon's Downfall'?'' he asks, and Shuu frowns.

''Hakuryuu told me something about it. Raimon was… crushed, right?'' asks Shuu slowly.

Tenma nods. The next hour, he tells Shuu _everything_. About their match against Kanashimi. About Raimon's disbanding. How he met Haru, and their friendship. When Raimon reformed. About the training. About the experimenting. How he and Haru found out that the Ishikawa twins experimented on the both of them. How Raimon found out about Haru. And lastly, about the argument that happened earlier that day.

When Tenma finishes, Shuu stays quiet for a long time, absorbing all the information. Then, he looks up and smiles. ''Okay. I've made my decision.''

Tenma looks at him in surprise. ''Shuu…?''

''I'll help you!''

* * *

 **And Shuu makes an appearance! Tell me, who saw that coming?**

 **IMPORTANT: The next two/three weeks, I'm on holiday and I'm not taking my laptop with me. I won't be able to write any chapters. I'm very sorry, but I want to enjoy my holiday too!**

 **\- Yara Meijer**


	15. Searching

**Hello my dear readers! I'm back from holiday! And I have to say, it was very nice and relaxing. I've been working on a new fanfic, also for Inazuma Eleven…**

 **But this chapter didn't work at all! I was halfway when I lost all inspiration. I knew exactly what should happen in this chappie, but I just couldn't find the words…**

 **Disclaimer: don't own, except my OCs**

 **Onto the reviews~!**

 _ **Lyra Mae Rose**_ **: Thank you, I'm doing my best. Really? I didn't notice that it's like a few other stories… maybe I've read them and unconsciously used those ideas for my fic or something? Anyway, it's indeed pretty different for the most part. And by the way, I love your story. Thank you, I'll try! Hope you enjoy this chapter~!**

 _ **Coco Baldwin**_ **: Shuu, huh? Well, here comes another familiar character! I hope I described Shuu and the new character good… anyway, enjoy~**

 _ **Frwt**_ **: An unexpected twist, huh? Well, that's what I was hoping for!**

 _ **Animago**_ **: Really? Thank you, I'm doing my best with this story. I really like Shuu and the movie, too. So? How do you think I did with writing him?**

 **Onto the chapter, please enjoy everyone~!**

* * *

 _Tenma nods. The next hour, he tells Shuu everything. About their match against Kanashimi. About Raimon's disbanding. How he met Haru, and their friendship. When Raimon reformed. About the training. About the experimenting. How he and Haru found out that the Ishikawa twins experimented on the both of them. How Raimon found out. And lastly, about the argument that happened earlier that day._

 _When Tenma finishes, Shuu stays quiet for a long time, absorbing all the information. Then, he looks up and smiles. ''Okay. I've made my decision.''_

 _Tenma looks at him in surprise. ''Shuu…?''_

'' _I'll help you!''_

* * *

''Nothing.'' His voice sounds angry when the game maker talks. ''We found _nothing_.''

''Ah, Kidou is outsmarted by a fourteen-year-old kid,'' mutters Fudou, and Kidou glares at him. The others present simply ignore them, instead talking about the topic at hand: Tenma's disappearance.

Gouenji frowns, deep in thought. ''So what we know… Raimon was crushed by a new team, Tenma befriended one of the members of said team, Raimon finds out, friend crushes Arakumo, Raimon confronts Tenma and Tenma runs away.''

''When you say it like that, it sounds so logical,'' mutters Fubuki, but then shakes his head. ''But still… that doesn't sound like Matsukaze-kun. I might not know him very well, but even I can see that we're missing something here.''

Endou nods, agreeing with the Hakuren coach. He looks around, meeting the eyes of the people in the room – his old friends from Raimon and Inazuma Japan. The dark-haired coach sighs. ''Tenma wouldn't run away for that. He cares about his team way too much – he cares about all his friends…'' Endou's frown deepens, before realization lights up his face. ''He cares about all his friends! Of course!''

This earns surprised looks from his ex-teammates. Kazemaru frowns, nodding along with Endou's words. ''He does… he wouldn't leave his team for an argument, but he also wouldn't betray a friend. So that means…''

''…that, wherever Tenma is, it probably has to do with Sakaki,'' finishes Endou. At the confused looks he gets, Raimon's coach explains further. ''Even though what happened at the Arakumo match, how Sakaki acted, Tenma will believe that there is something else going on, something bigger. Knowing Tenma, he would do anything to find out the truth and help Sakaki…'' he trails off.

Gouenji curses under his breath. ''If we had just more information about Sakaki, maybe then we would get a lead…''

''No, we already have a lead,'' sounds a voice from behind the flame shooter, and everyone turns to look at Midorikawa. At the curious looks, the ex-alien explains. ''We've been looking at the cameras surrounding the neighborhood. The cameras picked up a person clad in black clothing, and a hood hid his face. Then, Hiroto found a camera with the right angle – it was Matsukaze.'' His eyes narrow a bit when he continues. ''The last camera showed us that he went to the station, but we don't know if he took a train, and, if so, which one.''

''The train?!'' exclaims Endou in surprise. ''So he's not even in Inazuma Town anymore?'' at Midorikawa's nod, the coach slumps forward, looking suddenly exhausted. ''That means he could be anywhere…''

Kidou, who is sitting on the couch opposite of Endou's seat, shakes his head. He has his arms crossed in front of him and a frown on his face, eyes hidden by his green goggles. ''I already expected something like that. We're controlling all ways to leave the country, though I doubt Matsukaze would go that far. We already called in the police and a few detectives, but they'll keep the investigation a secret until I personally tell them otherwise. Even so, every police station in the country is informed about the situation and keeping an eye out for him. Our forces are also investigating Sakaki Haruki, and I think it would be a good idea to make a list of places where he could go,'' says Kidou, and almost everyone stares at him with wide eyes.

''H-how did you…?!'' exclaims Endou in surprise.

Gouenji is the one who answers from where he is sitting next to Kidou. ''He's rich. He has the money and influence,'' replies the flame shooter. ''And he's Kidou Yuuto,'' adds Seidousan's coach as an afterthought. Kidou simply nods, nobody noticing the satisfied and proud look in his eyes.

''A list of places where he could go,'' says Kazemaru, getting everyone's attention back to the main problem. ''Endou, do you have any idea?''

His ex-captain frowns, thinking hard for places where he could go. ''Not to Amemiya, obviously. Also not to one of his teammates… well, he could ask help from Earth Eleven,'' says Endou, and Sakuma writes it down. ''Otherwise… maybe Sakaki's family? If he wants to find out more about Sakaki, I think Tenma would look for information from his family.''

''And does he have any other friends?'' asks Kidou, and Endou shakes his head.

''I don't know. Almost every friend he made through soccer is unavailable, the teams from Holy Road because they might tell us about him, his friends from the future don't come here anymore, and his friends from the Grand Celesta Galaxy all live on their own planets. So nobody I can think about,'' sums the dark-haired man up.

''Um…'' Aki's voice sounds soft and hesitating. Kidou gestures for her to go on, and the young woman continues. ''Before Tenma came to live with me, he lived in Okinawa. He might go to his family there, or an old friend, though he never really talks much about it,'' says Aki, and Kidou's frown deepens.

''So much places, huh… Earth Eleven, Okinawa and Sakaki's family,'' concludes Kazemaru, and nods to himself. ''The faster we start with searching, the faster we find him.''

* * *

''If we want to help Haru-san, we need to figure out why he would act like he did at that match,'' concludes Shuu. The forward looks out over the island beneath him.

The brunet next to him follows his gaze, staring at the trees and the sea, and remembering everything that happened there. ''Yes. He is blocking our bond, but… I know one thing for sure, and that is that Haru was acting at the match. From what I've picked up from his mind, he isn't such a cruel person.''

Shuu nods. ''Okay… so why would he act like that? If we want to help Haru-san, we'll have to get all the information we can get. Did he tell you something useful?'' when Tenma shakes his head, the forward frowns. ''Hmm… people closest to him, maybe. I don't think he and his team are very close – with everything that is going on at that school, they probably don't talk much about their personal lives. If we would ask his parents, we'd have to explain everything… adults are like that. So that's not an option either. What we need is something like a sibling,'' mutters Shuu.

Tenma's eyes widen in realization. ''His sister!''

''What?''

''His sister! Haru has a younger sister!'' exclaims Tenma, and Shuu smiles. ''He told me a lot about her, and also the hospital she is registered in,'' says the brunet.

''That's exactly what we need. Get ready, because we'll leave tomorrow.''

* * *

Class has just ended, and Kirino and Shindou are picking up their stuff. ''Do you know what kind of training we're going to do today?'' asks the defender while his friend is shoving a book in his bag.

The game maker shrugs. ''Team training, I think…'' he trails off, his mind thinking things that he would rather not think about.

''But can we really do team training, when we're not… you know, complete?'' asks Hamano, who stops next to Shindou's desk, together with Hayami.

Shindou's face darkens, and he picks up his bag. ''Yeah, but we still have to play that match…'' his friends follow him through the halls of Raimon Jr. High, silently thinking about everything that has happened. Suddenly, Shindou's phone vibrates, and the game maker takes the small device from his pocket. For a moment, he looks at the screen before his eyes widen. It looks like he is typing something, and a moment later, the phones of his friends vibrate too. Taking out their phones, they all see the same message.

 **Raimon soccer club**

 _Kariya Masaki: I still think that crocodiles are cooler than snakes._

 _Kurama Norihito: Like I told you for the past twenty minutes, that is not true! And nobody cares!_

 _Kariya Masaki: Obviously you do, Kurama-senpai._

 _Kirino Ranmaru: Kariya, stop provoking your upperclassmen._

 _Kariya Masaki: I am not provoking anyone! Why do you always side against me?! Who are you, my mom?_

 _ **\- One new message –  
**_

 _Shindou Takuto: Come to the inside gym after school._

A moment later, they all get the same reactions from their teammates.

 _Shindou Takuto: Come to the inside gym after school._

 _ **Kageyama Hikaru is typing…**_

 _Nishizono Shinsuke: Sure!_

 _Kageyama Hikaru: Is something wrong?_

 _ **Kurama Norihito is typing… Hamano Kaiji is typing…**_

 _Kurama Norihito: Otherwise he wouldn't call us to meet up at the inside gym._

 _Hamano Kaiji: I think Shindou just got a message from coach Endou._

 _Nishizono Shinsuke: What? About… you know?_

 _Sorano Aoi: Really?_

 _Kageyama Hikaru: Please tell us, senpai!_

 _ **Tsurugi Kyousuke is typing…**_

 _Tsurugi Kyousuke: Great idea to tell them that, Hamano-senpai. Now they won't stop sending messages._

 _Kirino Ranmaru: Tsurugi! And I don't know if Shindou got a message from coach Endou, but if we all come to the inside gym I think he will tell us._

 _ **Kariya Masaki is typing… Kirino Ranmaru is typing…**_

 _Kirino Ranmaru: Kariya, stop writing. Whatever you're going to say, it won't help this conversation at all._

 _Kariya Masaki: What?! Kirino-senpai, I have no idea what you're talking about!_

 _ **Kirino Ranmaru is typing… Kariya Masaki is typing…**_

 _Kurama Norihito: Just head to the gym already!_

* * *

After everyone is gathered at the gym, they look expectantly at Shindou. The game maker takes out his phone, and a moment later, he starts to read out loud. ''From: Coach Endou. It reads, 'Shindou. My friends and I are currently looking for Tenma. We found out that he took a train and is no longer in Inazuma Town. Where he is headed, we don't know. We've also informed the police and are checking every place we can think of. Please tell the rest of Raimon, and while you're at it, please try to think of places where Tenma could go','' reads Shindou.

''He's no longer in the town?'' exclaims Hamano in shock. ''Damn it, where could he be?''

They are all silent for a while, when Tsurugi speaks up. ''Knowing Tenma… he'd probably try to find out more about Sakaki.'' Nods of agreement are shared at this statement. ''But he still needs a place to stay – Tenma is smart enough to realize that a teen out on the street in the middle of the night would attract attention, and that he needs somewhere to stay… but where?''

Shindou nods, catching on. ''Any team involved with the Holy Road is too easy – they would immediately tell us about it. What about the Earth Eleven?'' he asks, but Tsurugi shakes his head.

''No. They would definitely help him,'' says the forward, and Shindou raises a brow. ''But we know that the adults are trying to get help from Earth Eleven with our Souls. The risk of going to them is too high.'' The others nod in understanding.

Kirino bites his lip. ''Any other friends we know of?'' he looks at Aoi. ''You know him the longest. Any idea?'' he asks the manager.

The girl frowns. ''Here in Inazuma Town he didn't really have friends before, and then he spend all time with the team… but I don't know for sure. He could have friends in his hometown that I don't know of…''

''His hometown?'' asks Kurumada surprised, and Aoi looks up. ''Do you mean he isn't from Inazuma Town?''

The blue-haired manager shakes her head. ''No. Tenma doesn't really talk about it, but he was born on Okinawa, and his family still lives there. Though I'm not sure how old he was when he came here… at least nine, that's when I first met him.''

Shindou nods in understanding. ''That could help. I don't think he'd go to his family, they'd ask too many questions and would probably call Aki-san. But the important thing is his age when he came to live with her…'' he trails off.

His pink-haired friend catches on and continues. ''If he was younger than nine, he probably doesn't have a lot of friends there, at least not friends that would give him a place to stay. And their parents would immediately call his, or the police, or someone else…''

''So not from any teams here, not from the Earth Eleven and not from Okinawa… where else?'' muses Tsurugi. The silence returns for a moment, while everyone tries to think of a place where Tenma could be.

''What about God Eden?'' asks Kariya suddenly. When his friends look at him, the tealhead shrugs. ''I mean, it's far away, and a place the adults wouldn't really think of. And Tenma has a friend there, remember?''

Shinsuke nods excitedly. ''Yes, Shuu! He and Tenma were really close!'' says the small keeper. ''And when we needed help later, with Fei and Protocol Omega, he was willing to help too! I'm sure that he would help Tenma!''

Shindou nods. ''Okay, so God Eden is the most logical place… give me a moment, I'll tell the coach.''

* * *

Amemiya Taiyou is lying on his bed, curled up in a ball. He is staring at his wall without seeing anything. The Arakumo captain looks horrible: he is pale, has bags under his eyes and his bright orange hair has lost its shine. The boy sighs, rolling over so that he is lying on his other side.

''Why did I do that?'' he mutters to himself softly with a hoarse voice. _'I was angry. I was angry at Kanashimi, I was angry at that Haru, I was angry at myself and I was… was I angry at Tenma?'_ muses Taiyou. _'I… I'm not sure. I guess I was more… worried. I mean, he looked really bad when I visited him, and he has been really distracted lately… and I was angry that he didn't talk to me. I mean, he knows that if he can't talk to his team, he can talk to me, right?'_

Taiyou rolls over again, this time stopping when he lies on his back and looking at the ceiling of his room. ''Right?'' asks the Arakumo player softly, trying to convince himself. ''Or… does he think that I'd betray him…? Well, I guess I did… in the end.''

He hides his face in his pillow. _'How could I be so stupid? I know Tenma! I know that he befriends every soccer player in the world if he gets the chance! And even if I was angry, I had no right to slap him! He has been through so much already… I'm so stupid! And now he's gone!'_

Taiyou sighs sadly, before shaking his head. ''No. I can't think like this. If it was Tenma in my place, he would try to find me and apologize, not wallow in self-pity!''

' _Tenma, I will find you and apologize. I promise.'_

* * *

The adults are still at Aki's, discussing what they should do now. After a while, Endou's phone beeps. The coach takes a look at it, and after a moment, his eyes widen. ''God Eden…'' he mutters, and the others frown.

Kidou's eyes narrow. ''What about it?'' he asks his ex-captain, who looks up from his phone.

Endou smiles a small smile. ''I asked the team for ideas on where Tenma could be,'' he says, and Kidou nods in approval. ''And I think that they figured it out – do you remember what happened at God Eden?''

Kidou, who wasn't there during the training on God Eden, just raises an eyebrow, but Kazemaru understands Endou's words. ''Of course! That kid, Shuu!''

Endou grins at Kazemaru. ''Exactly.'' For the sake of the people who don't know Shuu, he explains. ''During our time at God Eden, we got help from someone who lives on that island… his name is Shuu. He and Tenma were pretty close, and I heard that he helped Raimon out too during the crisis with the future – he will surely help Tenma,'' says Endou.

Kidou puts a hand on his chin, looking down in thought. ''God Eden, huh… well, it's worth a shot. But we have to be fast.''

His white-haired friend nods, and the flame shooter looks at the others. ''We need to get to God Eden. I'm sure that Tenma will be taking action today or tomorrow. When that happens, we'll never find him.''

Endou nods in understanding. ''Yeah… Kidou, notify the news.''

''What?!'' is about the reaction of everyone in the room.

The coach sighs. ''Listen guys. Even though you probably didn't notice it, Raimon is famous, they're the number one junior soccer team in Japan. Shindou, Tsurugi, Tenma… they're part of the team that won the World Championship, at least, that's what everyone thinks. Tenma especially, as the captain. Everyone knows his face – even if we can't find him in time, he'll be recognized through the entire country. And when that happens,'' he grins, ''we'll know.''

* * *

The next morning, Tenma and Shuu are having breakfast, talking about their plans. The two friends are sitting in the cave that Raimon used as their hideout the first time they were on this island. Suddenly, they hear a voice call Shuu's name.

The dark-haired boy's eyes widen in shock when he recognizes the voice. He turns to the brunet, who has recognized the voice too. ''Tenma. I'll go meet him, you follow me, but keep your distance!'' he hisses, and the Raimon player nods.

Shuu leaves the cave, followed by the brunet who hides behind the trees. A moment later, Shuu stands still. Tenma follows his example, but can't see the one Shuu is greeting. ''Shuu,'' says a voice.

Shuu smiles. ''It's been a while, Hakuryuu. Why the sudden visit?'' he asks, and Tenma is impressed with his acting skills.

''Matsukaze Tenma.'' Tenma's eyes widen at Hakuryuu's answer, and the brunet has to stop himself from gasping. Meanwhile, Shuu's eyes narrow a bit.

''Tenma? What about him?'' his voice sounds pleasant, but his posture is too tense. Luckily, Hakuryuu doesn't seem to notice.

''He's missing,'' answers Hakuryuu, and Tenma frowns, wondering how the boy knows about that. At the same time, Shuu gasps in faked shock, but Hakuryuu doesn't give him time to speak. ''It's all over the news. Not many details are known, but he's not in Inazuma Town anymore.''

Shuu's eyes narrow again. ''Why are you telling me this, Hakuryuu?''

Hakuryuu's voice sounds equally sharp when he answers. ''I thought you wanted to know that your friend is missing.''

Shuu shakes his head slightly. ''If that was the true reason, you would have called, not come all the way here.'' Tenma is shocked at how hard his voice sounds. ''I want the truth.''

For a while, there is only silence. Tenma can only see Shuu, but it looks like the two are holding a staring contest. The silence is broken by Hakuryuu's sigh. ''Tsurugi called.'' Shuu only raises an eyebrow at this, faking innocence. ''Don't act innocent, Shuu! You know what this is about!'' when Shuu doesn't answer, the other growls. ''He's here, isn't he?''

''No.''

Tenma's eyes widen at the answer Shuu gives. ''Shuu! Stop this already!'' yells Hakuryuu angrily.

Shuu takes a step forward, growling. ''Like I told you, Tenma's not here!'' At that, Tenma steps from behind the trees, and he can finally see Hakuryuu. The white-haired boy looks angry and frustrated, but his eyes widen when he sees Tenma. Shuu's eyes widen too. ''Tenma! What are you-''

Tenma cuts him off. ''You're right, Hakuryuu. I'm here.'' He turns to Shuu, who is still looking at the brunet with disbelieving and frustrated eyes. ''This is my problem, Shuu. I'm not letting you get in trouble because of me.'' He looks over his shoulder at Hakuryuu. ''Are you going to call Tsurugi now?''

The white-haired boy hesitates, and Shuu takes his chance. ''Please Hakuryuu, you don't understand!'' Hakuryuu's eyes go from Tenma to Shuu and back. ''Raimon doesn't understand! At least hear us out! You can call them if you want after that, but you can at least listen to what we have to say!''

The other two stare at Shuu in shock. ''Shuu…'' mutters Tenma, touched by Shuu's obvious concern from him. The dark-haired boy looks away from Hakuryuu for a moment to shoot Tenma a small smile, before looking back at the white-haired boy.

Hakuryuu, meanwhile, is having a hard time what to decide. Shuu frowns when he notices this, and he takes a few steps forward, placing a hand on Hakuryuu''s shoulder. The other boy looks up with hesitance in his red orbs. Shuu's dark eyes soften. ''Please, Hakuryuu,'' he says softly.

Finally, the other sighs. ''Fine. I'll hear you out.''

Tenma breathes a sigh of relief, a relieved smile taking over his features. The three go back to the cave, and again, Tenma explains the story to Hakuryuu. When the brunet finishes, tHakuryuu is looking at the ground in deep thought. Shuu and Tenma share a nervous looking, waiting impatiently for Hakuryuu's answer.

After what feels like an eternity, the boy looks up. He takes his time to study both Tenma and Shuu, before apparently coming to an answer. ''I'll help too.''

Tenma and Shuu's eyes widen at this. ''Wha-?''

Hakuryuu cuts Tenma off. ''I know Tsurugi, and I know that he can take the wrong decisions in these kind of situations. I also know Raimon good enough to know that they do the same thing.'' He meets Tenma's eyes, looking at the brunet seriously. ''They're in the wrong here. If you really have a bond… I will believe your judgement this time.'' He holds Tenma's gaze a second longer, and the brunet nods in understanding. Then Hakuryuu straightens. ''Come on, we still need to go to the hospital.''

* * *

A few hours later, the three boys can be found in front of a hospital. After Hakuryuu told the other two that he would help, the white-haired boy proceeded to give them all the information he got from Tsurugi. Apparently, Raimon is suspicious of God Eden, and the three decided that it would be best to leave as soon as possible. So now they're at the hospital Haru told Tenma about.

The three share a look, before walking inside. They walk up to the reception, and a kind looking woman smiles at them. ''Yes, can I help you?'' she asks.

Tenma swallows, trying to ignore the nervous feeling in his gut. After all, his identity is only hidden by a hoodie. ''W-we're looking for Sakaki Ayumi,'' he says, and the woman nods.

She looks at something on the computer, and smiles again. ''She should be awake right now. Her room is on the third floor, room 374,'' says the woman, and the three boys thank her before walking away.

Silence surrounds them for a moment. ''I was so nervous!'' says Tenma suddenly, wiping the sweat from his brow. The other two nod amused, but they can't deny that they were nervous too.

A few minutes later they stop in front of room 374, and share a look again. With a deep breath, Tenma nods and opens the door.

On the bed sits a girl, watching TV. She has long, red hair in the same shade as Haru, but her eyes are lime green instead of orange. Even so, they hold the same sparkle as Haru's. The girl looks to be about twelve years old, with the same face as Haru.

Tenma's gaze falls on the TV for a moment, where he can see a picture of himself. What Hakuryuu said is true – his disappearance is all over the news.

The brunet is pulled away from his musings at the girl's voice. ''Hello, can I help you?'' she asks in a kind, soft tone, smiling at the three boys.

Shuu is the one who answers. ''Hello, you're Sakaki Ayumi-san, aren't you?'' he asks, smiling kindly. The girl – Ayumi – nods in surprise. Shuu bows politely. ''My name is Shuu. It's very nice to meet you, Sakaki-san.''

Hakuryuu smiles at her too. ''And I'm Hakuryuu.''

For a moment, Tenma hesitates. Shuu sees his hesitance, and closes the door, and the brunet nods gratefully. He looks at Ayumi again. ''Hello, Sakaki-san. My name is Matsukaze Tenma.'' With that, he pulls his hood down, and Ayumi's eyes widen. Tenma smiles at her. ''Please, don't tell anyone that we're here. We need your help.'' Ayumi looks at him in surprise and a slight hint of suspicion. ''It's about your brother,'' offers Tenma, and her eyes widen.

Immediately, the girl gestures them over. When the three are in her reach, she grabs Tenma's hands. ''Can you help him?'' she says in a pleading tone, looking at Tenma. ''It's about his school, isn't it? Please, help my brother!''

Tenma overcomes his surprise and smiles kindly. He sits down in one of the chairs standing next to the bed, and Hakuryuu and Shuu follow his example. ''Yes. Haru is a good friend of mine, and I'm planning to help him, but… I need you to answer a few questions, Sakaki-san.''

Ayumi smiles and shakes her head. ''Please, call me Ayumi, Matsukaze-san, Shuu-san, Hakuryuu-san.''

The Raimon player nods. ''Of course, Ayumi-chan. But only if you call me Tenma.''

The girl smiles and nods approvingly. ''Yes, Tenma-san. So? You wanted to ask me something?''

Hakuryuu is the one who answers this time. Sharing a look with the other two soccer players, he sighs. ''What exactly do you know about your brother's situation?''

Ayumi looks down at the bedsheets, and clenches her fists. ''He won't tell me anything, but… I know that there is something wrong. And it has to do with the teachers…'' her voice trails off, and the three boys wait patiently for her to continue. ''I don't know what they do to nii-san and the others of the soccer club, but my brother has come in here more than once with a bandage around his neck. When I asked, he told me that it was an accident during training…'' when she continues, her voice is a horror filled whisper. ''And I saw the match against Raimon.''

Tena's eyes widen. ''Ayumi-chan…''

Tears appear in her lime green eyes. ''Nii-san used to love soccer! But then… then he transferred to Kanashimi… for my sake. And he looked so tired when he came to visit me after practice. His eyes… they'll haunt me forever. I didn't see the usual spark. I haven't seen it in months. B-but lately, the past few weeks, he looked like his old self… talking about a new friend. And I was so happy! But now he won't even answer my calls…''

Ayumi looks like she is going to cry, and Tenma puts a comforting hand on her shoulder. The young girl leans into the touch. ''My brother always does that to comfort me… you remind me a bit of him, Tenma-san.''

Tenma smiles sadly. ''Yes… I can imagine.'' Ayumi looks at him confused, but Tenma shakes it off and smiles brightly. ''Anyway, we want to help Haru. After our match, I saw Haru again and we became friends…'' Tenma's smile turns to a frown. ''But then… did you see the Arakumo match?'' he asks, and the redhead nods sadly. Tenma sighs. ''Haru did some things during that match that angered my team… but what we want to know, is what could make Haru act like that?''

Ayumi frowns, deep in thought. Finally, she looks up again. ''I think I can answer that question, but I'll have to know exactly what happened,'' she says, and Tenma nods.

The brunet gathers his thought for a moment before explaining the situation. ''You see… my team is angry at the Kanashimi soccer club. When I first met Haru, I knew that my friends wouldn't approve, so I kept quiet about it. A few days ago, they found out anyway.'' Tenma sighs, and Ayumi looks at him in concern, thoughts going back to the brunet's disappearance. ''We made a compromise. If Haru did something that would hurt my friends on purpose, they would tell everyone about our friendship. Then… t-then the Arakumo match happened. A-another friend of mine…'' Tenma stops to get his breathing under control.

Shuu looks at him worriedly. ''I can tell the rest,'' he offers, and Tenma nods in thanks. The dark-haired player smiles and continues to tell the story. ''Another friend of Tenma, Amemiya Taiyou-san, Arakumo's captain… he was at that match, and, apparently, Haru talked to Amemiya-san after the match.''

Tenma stops him. ''I can take it from here,'' he says, and Shuu sends him a look that says 'you sure?' Tenma nods and starts talking again. ''Taiyou came to talk to me after that. He told us that Arakumo was crushed by one person – Haru, with a score of 13-6.'' Ayumi's eyes widen when she realizes the connection between the score and the score of Raimon. ''Apparently, Haru was incredibly cruel to them… in the end, he revealed our friendship to Taiyou with the words 'Haru sends his regards'… my team, who was present during our… talk, got angry, and I knew that I had to leave if I wanted to help Haru. That's the reason for my disappearance.''

Ayumi shivers. ''How horrible…'' she mutters, before getting back to the topic at hand. ''Nii-san is a kind person. He wouldn't do something like that for his own pleasure. That's why… I think someone blackmailed him.''

''Blackmailed?!" exclaims Hakuryuu in shock, and Ayumi nods.

''Yes. Maybe they blackmailed him by threatening me, but I don't think so. It'd be too hard, and my brother knows that. I'm sure that, whoever is after this, could do it, but it'd take too long.'' She frowns. ''I take it this has to do with the soccer club, right? This whole situation, I mean.''

Tenma nods in surprise. ''You're really smart for someone your age, Ayumi-chan!''

The girl smiles. ''Thank you, Tenma-san. But anyway, if the whole soccer club knows what is going on, they'd be prepared and on guard, I think.'' The boys nod in agreement. ''So that'd leave…'' suddenly, she looks up. ''Who is after all this?''

The three soccer players share a look, and Shuu answers. ''The director, Ishikawa Kazuo, and the coach of the soccer club, Ishikawa Jirou. Why?''

Ayumi grins victoriously. ''If it's the director, he'd have a whole school of students he could use, right?''

Tenma's eyes widen in shock and understanding. ''Of course… he could just use the students as blackmail! Haru wouldn't risk the lives of all those students!''

The red-haired girl nods, smiling that the boy caught on. ''Exactly.''

* * *

 **And that's it! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! A new character, Sakaki Ayumi… and another piece of the puzzle is solved! We're coming to a close now, too~! I do think that there will be at least five more chapters, but I already know how I will end this (unless my crazy mind comes up with another twists).**

 **Anyway, time for me to go to sleep~!**

 **\- Yara Meijer**


	16. Fighting Back

**Hey everyone, here's the next chapter!**

 **Reviews~**

 _ **Coco Baldwin:**_ **hahaha, the ending's getting close. Less than ten chapters now~! Okay, that's still a bit much, but I really don't know how many chapters it's gonna take… XD**

 _ **Frwt:**_ **And here's the next!**

 _ **Yaa-chanHey:**_ **Well, here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy~!**

 _ **Aquila Aqua:**_ **Okay I don't know if you'll read this, but I'll reply anyway. Really? I'm happy that you enjoy it so much! Hahaha, I don't think that Tenma is capable of blackmailing people, only as a joke maybe, and that's what I meant with that. But it's up to your own imagination~! Oh, I'm sorry. I've checked it, and I see that I indeed use both Haruna and Haruka. Thank you for pointing it out! It's probably because I watched the series in my native language (and she has another name there), and in GO you don't really hear her name. Sorry, I'll try to pay more attention to it next time.**

 **Disclaimer: don't own, except my OCs~!**

 **Please enjoy the chapter, everyone~! And thank you for all the support!**

* * *

 _The girl smiles. ''Thank you, Tenma-san. But anyway, if the whole soccer club knows what is going on, they'd be prepared and on guard, I think.'' The boys nod in agreement. ''So that'd leave…'' suddenly, she looks up. ''Who is after all this?''_

 _The three soccer players share a look, and Shuu answers. ''The director, Ishikawa Jirou, and the coach of the soccer club, Ishikawa Kazuo. Why?''_

 _Ayumi grins victoriously. ''If it's the director, he'd have a whole school of students he could use, right?''_

 _Tenma's eyes widen in shock and understanding. ''Of course… he could just use the students as blackmail! Haru wouldn't risk the lives of all those students!''_

 _The red-haired girl nods, smiling that the boy caught on. ''Exactly.''_

* * *

The next day, the three boys are back at God Eden. The three of them know that it's a risk, because this is the place Endou and the others are suspecting, but they have nowhere else to go. And it's a big island, so if they really come to search here, Tenma can just hide somewhere.

Currently they are discussing everything. ''So Haru-san is being forced to work with the Ishikawa twins…'' mutters Shuu, deep in thought. They are back at the cave, thinking of ways to help Haru.

Hakuryuu sighs. ''But how?'' at the questioning looks, the white-haired player explains. ''I mean, how exactly did they blackmail Sakaki? How did they threaten him?''

Shuu nods in understanding. ''Yeah… that's the question. If we don't know how the students are in danger, we can't stop it… so we need to find out what the Ishikawa twins used to endanger the students…'' he trails off, deep in thought.

''Um…'' the two look at Tenma, who looks a bit hesitating. Shuu gestures for the brunet to go on, and Tenma sighs. ''Our bond… Haru is blocking it,'' says Tenma.

Shuu nods. ''Yes, you already told us that. What about it?''

The brunet frowns. ''Well… the block is like a door that Haru is forcefully keeping closed. Usually, the door between our minds is closed, but not locked, like now. That way, our minds don't get messed up… I think. But like I said, Haru is 'locking' the door, but that takes a lot of energy…''

Hakuryuu and Shuu frown, not seeing where this is going. Tenma sighs and explains further. ''Haru has been keeping the door closed for a few days now. Like I said, it takes a lot of energy… and it's slowly weakening.'' He looks up, eyes determined. ''When he first locked the door between our minds, he used a lot more force than he does now. Maybe if I try to 'open' the door now, Haru will be caught off guard, and I will get access to his mind…''

The white-haired player nods. ''Yeah… Sakaki's attention won't be on you right now. But what will you do when you enter his mind? Look through his memories?''

Tenma immediately shakes his head. ''No. It's not that easy. I can get access to Haru's mind, that way I can talk to him. But by looking through his memories…'' the brunet trails off, looking for a way to describe that. ''That way, you won't be able to hide _anything_. Even if it's just a few memories. You see everything the other sees, feel everything the other feels, hear every thought… by opening your mind to someone, with the bond we have, you practically give your life, no, your entire _being_ away.''

Their eyes widen in awe, not being able to understand what Tenma is talking about. 'So no forcefully looking through memories, then,'' concludes Shuu. ''But Hakuryuu is right. If you can get access, you can explain the situation to Haru-san. Maybe he'll help.''

For a moment, Tenma hesitates, before nodding. ''Okay, I'll try.''

Shuu smiles softly at him. ''Don't worry, at least one of us we'll be here while you try to talk to Haru-san.'' Hakuryuu nods in agreement.

Tenma answers the smile. ''Thanks.''

* * *

Haru is sitting in his 'room', but it's more like a cell. It has everything a room needs: a bed, a desk with a chair, a private bathroom… it's perfect, except for the fact that one of the walls exist out of bars.

Ever since the redhead agreed to 'help' the coach and the director, this is where he has spent his days – to make sure he doesn't warn anyone about his situation. Of course he still goes to training and all that, the only bit of freedom he has… but even there, his teammates are horrified by the changes in his behavior – forced acting for the Ishikawa twins.

The Kanashimi first-year is lying on his bed, facing the wall, when he suddenly feels something in his mind. Without any warning, the block he has forced between himself and Tenma, is broken into pieces. His orange eyes widen in shock when he feels Tenma's mind come in contact with his own.

Then he hears a voice. _**'Haru? Can you hear me?'**_ No, it's not a voice. It's more like a thought.

Haru's gasp in pure shock. _**'Tenma? Is… is that you?'**_ instead of answering, the other presence sends him a… positive feeling? Like he wants to say 'yes'. Haru tries to relax, trying to understand the situation. Slowly his eyes close, while the redhead falls in a dreamlike state as he 'talks' with Tenma. _**'How is this possible? I mean… last time when I got access to your mind…'**_

He doesn't really know how, but he knows that Tenma is smiling. _**'I think that it's because the experiment is processing further,'**_ answers the brunet.

' _ **Why are you even in my mind? Why did you break the block?'**_ asks Haru, and he feels that the brunet is confused. Instead of answering, Haru sends him a memory.

* * *

' _ **Why are you even in my mind? Why did you break the block?'**_ Tenma is shocked by the feelings behind the thought. Worry, anger and fear. The brunet frowns, sending his friend a feeling of confusion.

Haru doesn't answer, and an image appears in Tenma's mind. No, a memory.

 _Standing on a soccer field, shocked silence filling the stadium. He looks at the scoreboard, which reads 13-6._

It's immediately followed by another memory.

 _The same field. A boy with orange hair, looking at him in horror and despair._

Tenma ignores the memories, instead trying to explain to his friend why he is making contact with the redhead.

* * *

Haru is waiting for the anger, the blame, anything, but instead he gets a flow of memories.

 _Standing with his team, when footsteps sound over the field. Looking up, seeing a familiar orange-haired boy walking towards his team. Asking how the match went, when the orange-haired boy – Taiyou – tells him that Haru sends his regards. A feeling of shock and worry. Taiyou telling him that his match was against Kanashimi._

 _Falling on the ground because something, someone, slapped him. Disbelief, shock. His friend slapped him. Why? Taiyou telling him about the match, the accusing eyes of his team. Walking away, going home._

 _Leaving the house through the window. The train. The boat. God Eden, Shuu, Hakuryuu, and then a white building. A hospital. A familiar – no, not familiar – room with a red-haired girl. Talking to the girl, figuring out that Haru has been blackmailed. How? The students._

 _Hakuryuu and Shuu. Wanting to know how the students are threatened. Thinking about the block, talking with the other two. Making contact with Haru's mind._

The memories stop, and Haru takes deep breathes, trying to get his mind under control after he got a lot of information is such a short period of time.

* * *

After sending the memories, Haru is silent. Tenma reaches out with his mind, when he is suddenly overcome by a flood of mixed feelings – anger, doubt, fear, worry, and a slight bit of hope.

Tenma feels that Haru sighs. _**'I'm not happy about this, Tenma.'**_ This is confirmed by the angry feelings. _**'But I understand your reasoning. And… I'm sorry,'**_ says Haru, and Tenma sends him an encouraging feeling.

' _ **Will you help us, Haru?'**_ asks Tenma, hoping for a positive answer.

Haru is silent for a long time. Tenma knows that the redhead is thinking about everything carefully. It's not exactly feeling or seeing, more like… more like the brunet can _hear_ what goes on in Haru's mind.

After a while, Haru carefully touches Tenma's mind, waiting for Tenma's permission. The brunet sends a feeling of approval, and slowly Haru starts to go over his memories from the past few days.

Tenma shivers, not used to the strange feeling of someone being able to look in his mind – seeing everything he sees, feeling everything he feels, reading everything he thinks. It's not like talking, or sending memories and thoughts – that is controlled. The two of them can show the things they want the other to know. But this, going so deep in someone's memories, someone's _mind_ , shows everything. No secrets. It makes the brunet so incredibly vulnerable.

The moment Haru deems he has enough information, the redhead's presence leaves Tenma's mind. Haru sends him a feeling of trust and gratefulness. _**'Thank you.'**_

Unconsciously, Tenma smiles. _**'No problem. But… do you have an answer?'**_

The redhead hesitates for a moment longer, before sighing. _**'I'll tell you everything you need to know… no, I'll give you access to my mind. After all, you did the same for me.'**_

' _ **Haru…'**_ thinks Tenma, moved by the amount of trust the redhead places in him.

He skims over Haru's memories, only lingering long enough to know that it's not what the brunet is looking for. Then finally, he finds it.

 _Two men, both with sky blue hair and sapphire eyes. A feeling of caution, these two are they dangerous. They have hurt him, and his team, and a friend – Tenma._

 _They found out about Tenma. They know. Fear for himself and his friend. Refusing to listen to the two men – not agreeing, not following their others. Holograms. Images._

 _The entire school. Hidden in the wall. Students. Danger._

 _Gas._

With that, Tenma stops. He knows what he has to know. The brunet is about to leave, when Haru speaks up again. _**'If you can destroy the mechanism that releases the gas, the school will be safe. Right now, I am under constant surveillance, so I can't do much to help, but you can ask my team for help.'**_ The redhead sends Tenma a memory of a phone number. _**''If you have to get his attention, just call him E1.''**_ With that, the two go back to their own minds.

* * *

When Tenma opens his eyes, the first thing he sees is the ceiling of the cave he is lying in. He blinks a few times, before looking around. His gaze falls on a figure sitting in front of the cave.

When the brunet sits up, the figure turns around. Shuu walks towards Tenma and smiles, before sitting down next to the brunet. ''Hey. Did it work?'' asks the dark-haired player, and Tenma nods.

''I know everything…'' mutters Tenma, clearly worried.

Shuu frowns when he hears Tenma's tone. ''Wait here, I'll go get Hakuryuu.'' The boy leaves the cave, and Tenma sighs, trying to order his thoughts before he has to tell the other two soccer players about what he found out.

A few minutes later, Shuu enters the cave again, followed by Hakuryuu. The white-haired teen nods to Tenma in greeting, and Tenma allows a small smile to grace his face. When the other two have sit down before the brunet, Tenma starts to tell what happened.

At the end of the story, Shuu and Haruryuu look very disturbed by the thought of a poisonous gas system in a school, but they agree with Tenma's idea of asking help from Kanashimi anyway. ''If Haru-san told us to do that, we have to do it. We can trust Haru-san about this. If he trusts his team, so do I,'' says Shuu, earning nods from the other two.

* * *

Shimizu is sitting with his team on the benches next to the soccer field (except Sakaki, who is almost never there anymore, only for school and practice) when his phone suddenly rings. The captain raises an eyebrow, who would call him now?

When he takes out his phone, he frowns when he doesn't recognize the number. Shrugging, he picks up. ''Shimizu Akio speaking, who is this?''

The voice that responds is young, someone of Sakaki's age, if the Kanashimi captain has to guess. _''Hello, Shimizu-san, I am a Raimon soccer player. For safety, I can't tell you my name.''_

Shimizu's green eyes widen in shock. ''What?'' is the only thing he can say.

'' _You might be wondering why I'm calling you, but I need your help.''_

At his, Shimizu's eyes widen even more. ''U-uh… with what, exactly?'' the purple-haired boy can't think of any reason why a _Raimon player_ would call him, the _Kanashimi captain_.

The other sighs. _''You see… a friend of mine told me I could trust you.''_ Shimizu frowns, not understanding what the other means. _''I'll try to explain, but I can't reveal too much. First, I am in the same situation as you, E1.''_

Shimizu almost chokes on air. ''What?! Do you mean you-''

'' _Yes… to them, I am known as E12.''_

The older boy growls dangerously. ''How dare they…'' then he calms down. ''So what do you need my help with? I will help you if I can.''

The other sighs in relief. _''Thank you, Shimizu-san. You see, I am friends with one of your teammates, Sakaki Haruki.''_

Shimizu frowns. ''If this is about not being able to contact him, I can't help you with that, sorry.''

'' _No, I have my own way to contact Haru. But anyway, have you noticed some changes in him, lately?''_

By this time, Shimizu is attracting attention from his teammates, but the captain doesn't care. ''Yes, he's acting very different… you have seen our last match, right?''

The other sighs again. _''No, but I have heard about it. Anyway, Haru is being blackmailed.''_ Shimizu gasps, but the Raimon captain cuts him off before he can say anything. _''I can't tell you too much, but Haru gave me this number and said that I should ask your team for help. Please, Shimizu-san. I… no, we need your help.''_

Shimizu frowns while he thinks over the request, before sighing. ''Fine, we'll help. So what exactly do you want me to do?''

'' _I want to meet with you and your team, if possible.''_

''Hmm…'' Shimizu frowns, thinking about how to convince his team. ''I think I'll be able to convince them… when and where?''

The other thinks for a moment. _''Tomorrow, if possible. Do you know of any place where we could meet without attracting attention?''_

It's Shimizu's turn to think now. ''Well… there's a small café here in town… is it okay if I send the address to this number?'' asks the purple-haired second-year.

'' _Sure. How late?''_

''Four o'clock?''

'' _Sure. I'll be having two friends with me. See you then?''_

''Yeah.'' The captain turns to his team, who are looking at him in curiosity. ''I have news, but we can't talk here,'' says the captain fast. His team understands, and about ten minutes later, the whole Kanashimi team is far away from the school.

''So what was that about, capt'n?'' asks Ueno, as usual with a smirk on his face.

Shimizu sighs, looking at his team. ''I got a call from a Raimon player.'' Shocked shouts sound through the air, and the captain nods. ''Yes, that was my reaction. Anyway, he's a friend of Sakaki…''

''Haru-kun?'' asks Hitomi, a manager, surprised.

The second-year nods. ''Yes. He called himself…'' Shimizu hesitates for a moment, not wanting to believe that his coach and the director would go that far. The captain sighs again. ''He called himself E12.''

Their eyes widen, as they immediately understand what the other means. ''Are you fucking serious?! Is he really…'' Ueno trails off, disbelief in his voice.

Shimizu nods. ''Yes, apparently. Anyway, he said he wanted to help Sakaki.''

The other manager frowns. ''What did Bakaki do this time?'' asks Akemi in faked annoyance, but one can see the worried glint in her purple eyes.

The captain closes his eyes for a moment, trying to ignore the concern for the first-year so he can focus. ''We've all noticed how he was during the Arakumo match, right?'' the others nod, and the captain continues. ''He's being blackmailed. And this 'E12' wants to help him, but he needs our help.''

''What did you say?'' asks Mizuno Hisao, a defender and a second-year with green hair and sharp green eyes.

Ueno narrows his eyes as he looks at the captain. ''You better said yes, capt'n. This is _the_ chance to do something about those fucking adults!'' growls the forward.

Shimizu doesn't answer Ueno, instead focusing his attention on Mizuno. ''I said we would meet him tomorrow at the café at four o'clock, and then listen to his story. What do you think, Mizuno-kun?'' he asks the other second-year.

The dark-haired boy frowns and thinks for a moment. ''I think that you made the right choice, captain. I would like to hear the story from the boy himself, before actually making a decision,'' advices the defender.

Shimizu nods, and turns his attention back to the entire team. ''Anyway, I'm going tomorrow. Who's with me?''

* * *

''Hey.''

A wavy-haired boy sits down on the bench next to a blue-haired boy, who has his eyes closed. When he hears the other's voice, the boy opens his orange eyes to look at Shindou. ''Hey.''

The two of them sit in silence, both lost in their own thoughts. They are at the field by the riverbank, seeing as practice ended early today. Shindou sighs, finally breaking the silence. ''A lot has happened lately, hasn't it?'' mutters the second-year, staring at the sky.

Tsurugi nods in agreement. ''Yeah.''

The silence returns, and again, Shindou is the one to break it. ''Have you heard something from Hakuryuu? You called him, right?''

The forward nods again. ''I did, he said he'd check up on Shuu. I received a message yesterday that, as far as Hakuryuu could see, there was nothing wrong at God Eden.''

''Nothing, huh…'' Shindou sighs.

Tsurugi looks at the older teen out of the corner of his eyes. ''Have you heard anything from coach Endou?'' he asks, not letting any emotions show on his face.

The game maker stays silent for a while, before answering. ''They're going to send out search parties. They'll check the Earth Eleven, and God Eden too, in a few days.''

Tsurugi nods in understanding. ''I see.''

The silence returns again, as the boys' thoughts go back to their brown-haired friend. The sun starts to sink, turning the sky a golden orange. A cold breeze blows over the field, one of the first signs of autumn.

Finally, the blue-haired forward speaks up. ''We should have trusted him, shouldn't we?''

''Mm,'' mutters Shindou in agreement.

The other leans back, sighing. ''Our judgement was clouded by anger.''

Again, Shindou doesn't react except for a vague ''mm.''

Tsurugi closes his eyes, as if to hide from the painful truth. ''We never should have reacted like we did.''

''Mm.'' Shindou closes his eyes for a moment, before opening them again. His brown orbs are filled with guilt and pain. ''We should've learned our lesson after the players of the Earth Eleven. Tenma was the only one who really was willing to give them a chance. You were… neutral, I guess. And I…'' the game maker shakes his head, a pain filled smile on his face.

Tsurugi looks at the second-year. ''I wasn't exactly willing to give them a chance, either. But you're right. We should've learned to trust Tenma's judgement by now.''

The smile on Shindou's face becomes softer. ''Yeah. But even so, I'm sure Tenma will find a way to convince us about the Kanashimi team being good. After all, he always does, in the end.'' The smile falls of his face, as the wavy-haired boy stares at the grass in front of him with worried eyes. ''Even so, I'm worried.''

''Yeah,'' mutters Tsurugi. ''Until now, we've always done things as a team… well, not in the beginning, but Tenma was never… alone.'' The forward sighs, eyes softening a bit.

''I'm sure he'll be fine,'' answers Shindou softly. ''He just has to be…''

For a few moments, nobody speaks, before Tsurugi closes his eyes again. ''Why do you think he went away?'' asks the first-year.

''Hmm?'' Shindou looks up at the other, raising an eyebrow slightly.

The blue-haired boy sighs again, opening his eyes. ''Why didn't he stay and try to convince us? Why did he leave?''

''Ah,'' mutters Shindou in understanding, eyes going back to the ground. ''I don't know. I never expected Tenma to _leave_. I mean, I thought he'd really try to convince us, but…'' his brown eyes look at the sky, reflecting the orange light. ''Why did he go, indeed?''

Tsurugi frowns, leaning forward to get a good look at the second-year. After a while, he speaks up. ''Maybe it has something to do with his behavior lately.'' Shindou looks up, brown meeting orange. ''Like you said, Tenma has been acting really weird. Before we confronted Tenma about Sakaki, you said that you thought that his friend might have something to do with it, right?''

At this, Shindou's eyes widen. ''Yeah…'' he frowns. ''I said we were missing a piece then. Tenma's sickness, his weird behavior, and Sakaki…''

Tsurugi raises an eyebrow in curiosity. ''Isn't it because of Sakaki that Tenma is acting weird?''

Shindou immediately shakes his head. ''Even so, gaining a new friend – even if it's someone from Kanashimi – wouldn't make Tenma act so absent, so… like he is drifting away from us. That hasn't happened before, not with Shuu and not with Fei either. So why would there be a difference now?''

Tsurugi doesn't have an answer to this, instead opting to look at his friend as the game maker starts to muse again.

''Tenma was scared of something, and Sakaki had something to do with it – the phone call. He has been drifting away from us, and closer to Sakaki, judging from their calls. Then there is the problem of his sickness. And of course his disappearance.'' The wavy-haired boy shakes his head in frustration. ''I thought we had solved this with Sakaki's identity, but we didn't solve anything! In fact, we made it only more confusing!'' Shindou growls frustrated.

The blue-haired forward nods. ''Sakaki, the sickness, his disappearance… knowing Tenma, he'd do everything he can to find out the truth about Sakaki. If he didn't feel safe here, he'd go away…''

Shindou nods. ''Exactly. And that makes sense, too. But the amount of trust Tenma placed in Sakaki… I don't really feel comfortable about it,'' explains the game maker to the forward. ''He believed in Shuu when he joined Zero, and Tenma didn't exactly doubt Fei when he joined Feida… but still. It just doesn't feel right. And the two of them obviously have a secret.''

Tsurugi looks up sharply, even though Shindou isn't meeting his eyes. ''What makes you say that?''

The other looks up, seeing Tsurugi's alarmed look. ''The phone call. Sakaki called Tenma, and they talked for quite a while. In the end, Tenma said that he was scared of something.'' He frowns. ''Damn it! I should've asked about that when Tenma told how he met Sakaki!''

''Maybe his sickness has something to do with this secret?'' asks Tsurugi, and Shindou nods absentmindedly.

''Yeah, maybe.'' The game maker looks up at the sky again. ''Wherever you are, Tenma… please be careful.''

* * *

The next day, the Kanashimi team gathers inside the café where they will meet the Raimon player with his friends. The managers and entire team, except for Haru, are present. They have reserved a table in a private room, where they can talk without people listening in on their conversation.

They are waiting for a few minutes, when the door of the room opens, and a waitress enters, followed by three people – teens. The waitress leaves after taking their orders, and the three boys sit down.

One of them has white hair and red eyes, which are looking cautiously around the room. The second boy has dark hair and eyes in the same shade, with a kind smile on his face, but there's something dangerous in his eyes that warns the Kanashimi team not to make him angry.

The last person is wearing a black hoodie that hides his face, only showing his mouth. The boy smiles. ''Hello everyone, thank you for coming.'' He looks around the room for a moment. ''Do you know if there are any cameras in this room?''

Shimizu shakes his head. ''No, we asked for a room without any surveillance.''

At that moment, the waitress returns, carrying their drinks. After she leaves again, the hooded boy nods in understanding. ''That's good. I can show my face now.'' With that, the boy takes off the hood, revealing a young face with brown hair and grey eyes.

They recognize this person. How could they not?

Shimizu is the first one to overcome the shock. ''Matsukaze Tenma? But weren't you missing?''

At this, Tenma chuckles sheepishly. ''Uh, yeah, officially I am. So please don't tell anyone about me being here, okay?'' at Shimizu's nod, the brunet relaxes slightly. ''Anyway, you must be Shimizu-san. It's very nice to meet you, and your team. These are my friends, Shuu and Hakuryuu.''

''So, why'd ya call us out?'' asks Ueno, grinning insanely. ''Something about helping the brat?''

''Ignore him,'' says Mizuno, smiling slightly. ''But could you please tell us what's going on? And are you also an…'' he looks at Hakuryuu and Shuu for a moment, before deciding that they can probably be trusted. ''An experiment?''

Tenma nods. ''Yes. But my case is a bit complicated.'' At the confused looks, he explains. ''You see, the experiment causes Haru and I to have a mental bond.''

''What?!'' exclaims Mizuno in shock, his green eyes wide.

The brunet sighs. ''The experiment is not complete yet, but it's getting close. I can feel Haru's emotions, see his memories and talk to him mentally. That's what I meant when I said that I had my own way of contacting Haru.'' The last part is directed to Shimizu.

Hitomi speaks up for the first time. ''So what do you know about Haru-kun's current situation?'' asks the brown-haired girl.

The Raimon player gathers his thoughts for a moment. ''Haru is being blackmailed by the Ishikawa twins. They are threatening to kill all the Kanashimi students if Haru doesn't work with them.''

''What?!'' Akemi's voice is the loudest out of all the shocked shouts. ''How can they possibly do that?''

Tenma sighs sadly. ''Apparently, there are pipes through the entire school, hidden in the walls. Through small, undetectable holes, they are connected to the halls and classrooms. With a push on a button, a system will activate that releases deadly gas through the pipes.''

This time, there are no shocked shouts, and the Kanashimi players gasp instead. Ueno growls. ''Those fucking bastards… of course the brat doesn't have a choice,'' hisses the dark-haired boy, greyish purple eyes narrowed dangerously.

Shimizu has also narrowed his green eyes in anger. ''And Sakaki told you to call me.'' The captain laughs soft and harshly. ''He knows us so well.'' The second-year looks up, meeting Tenma's grey orbs. ''Of course we'll help, Matsukaze-san.''

Tenma nods in relief and gratefulness. From that moment, they start planning. ''We need to get into the school without being seen,'' says Shimizu. ''Mizuno, I think it's time to get back to hacking.''

The green-haired boy smirks. ''Of course, captain. Anything to stop those monsters,'' answers the usual kind-hearted defender.

Shimizu turns his attention to Akemi. ''I hope you still know how to pick locks.''

The girl in question grins dangerously. ''Who do you think I am? I've never stopped practicing. Came in handy if I wanted to steal something from the teachers.''

Finally, the captain turns to Ueno. ''I guess we're going to use our old skills again, Ueno- no, Hiroki,'' he says with a dangerous smile.

The dark-haired boy smirks again. ''That's the way I know you, cousin.'' His eyes narrow, and the forward looks a lot like a predator waiting for his prey. ''Was afraid you'd gone soft.''

Shuu and Hakuryuu, meanwhile, look at Tenma in shock. The brunet just smiles at them. ''Ah, yes, Haru told me about that. The Ishikawa twins all chose those players personally, and some of them have skills that could come in handy if we're going to stop the Ishikawa twins. Mizuno Hisao-san is a great hacker, Hamasaki Akemi-san used to steal as a hobby, and is very good at picking locks and sneaking around, and Shimizu Akio-san and Ueno Hiroki-san are cousins who are from an old and noble family, skilled in all kind of different fighting arts,'' explains the brunet.

The other two turn to stare at the Kanashimi players again. ''Wow…'' mutters Hakuryuu. ''You know, we might even be able to take on the crazy scientists with the help of these players.''

''Might?'' asks Ueno, growling dangerously. ''Oh no, we will.''

Tenma nods happily. ''Yep! Anyway, we should go back to our plan of breaking in at a school controlled by two evil freaky scientists.''

Shuu sweat drops. ''Even so, you shouldn't be so happy about it…''

* * *

 **And the end! Hahaha, I just got the idea of the talents of Kanashimi while I was writing this. I thought it was quite funny. Anyway! Tenma and the others are going to break into Kanashimi Jr High to destroy a system that could kill the entire school! Sounds fun~**

 **\- Yara Meijer**


	17. The Break-in

**Hi. I know, it's been too long. Do I have an excuse? Only that I went from 'Inazuma-mode' to ' -Man-mode' to 'One Piece-mode' to 'Naruto-mode' to 'Inazuma-mode' (for about five hours or so while writing the first 4500 words of this chapter) to 'Haikyuu-mode' and then back to 'Inazuma-mode'.**

 **Hahaha, sorry for that~! Anyway, onto the reviews!**

 _ **Coco Baldwin:**_ **Hope you like it!**

 _ **Aquila Aqua:**_ **Hahaha, I know right? I had really fun writing Tenma like that!**

 _ **Frwt:**_ **Hahaha, I totally agree. But you can't deny that it was fun to read, can you?**

 _ **Yaa-chanHey:**_ **Hey! Hahaha, yeah, I had to think about you at one point XD Hope you like this chappie, Yaa-chan~!**

 _ **Tsurugi Ann:**_ **In one day?! Really? Wow, that's something. Mind manipulation and memory filtering… honestly, I didn't even know that I was going to write about that. I was writing that scene when Hiroto told the adults about what they had found out, when I suddenly thought about it. Hmm… is it too confusing? I want to keep it a bit mysterious, and clear it up later in the story, but it wouldn't be good if you can't follow the story at all. Anyway, enjoy the chapter~!**

 _ **Soccerfan629:**_ **Hahaha, a huge fan? Great, I'm glad you enjoy it! Gotta say though, your review was the one that made me write this chapter. When I read it, I was like 'okay Yara, open this document and** _ **start writing**_ _ **.**_ **I honestly didn't have any inspiration for this chapter! You like Tenma? So do I (like you hadn't figured that out yet XD )! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: don't own, except my OCs.**

 **Now, welcome to the sixteenth chapter of Stand!**

* * *

 _Shuu and Hakuryuu, meanwhile, look at Tenma in shock. The brunet just smiles at them. ''Ah, yes, Haru told me about that. The Ishikawa twins all chose those players personally, and some of them have skills that could come in handy if we're going to stop the Ishikawa twins. Mizuno Hisao-san is a great hacker, Hamasaki Akemi-san used to steal as a hobby, and is very good at picking locks and sneaking around, and Shimizu Akio-san and Ueno Hiroki-san are cousins who are from an old and noble family, skilled in all kind of different fighting arts,'' explains the brunet._

 _The other two turn to stare at the Kanashimi players again. ''Wow…'' mutters Hakuryuu. ''You know, we might even be able to take on the crazy scientists with the help of these players.''_

'' _Might?'' asks Ueno, growling dangerously. ''Oh no, we will.''_

 _Tenma nods happily. ''Yep! Anyway, we should go back to our plan of breaking in at a school controlled by two evil freaky scientists.''_

 _Shuu sweat drops. ''Even so, you shouldn't be so happy about it…''_

* * *

''Dammit!'' curses a blue-haired adult loudly, as he punches the bureau in anger. Above his bureau are holograms, showing various news stations.

Another man looks up from where he is working on his laptop, at another bureau. ''What's wrong, nii-san?'' he asks, and Kazuo grits his teeth while nodding to the holograms.

Jirou stands up, joining his brother. His sapphire eyes widen in shock when he sees what made his twin so angry. ''Missing?!''

Kazuo nods. ''Yes, apparently,'' he grits out. ''Three days ago is the last time anyone saw him.'' He scowls. ''We need E12 here! The experiment is almost coming to a close, and we both know how it will end!''

Jirou's eyes narrow, as he nods thoughtfully. ''Yes…'' he mutters in agreement. ''The ending of the experiment… damn it, the brat's smart.''

His older twin looks up sharply. ''Do you think he went away to avoid us?'' he asks, but the younger doesn't react. ''I mean, if he'd be afraid for his safety… no. E12 doesn't know about the experimenting, does he?''

The coach of the soccer club sends him a disbelieving look. ''Really, nii-san? We might be smart, but that doesn't mean the rest of the world is stupid, you know. Even a kid like Matsukaze Tenma will know that _something_ is wrong at this point. According to our predictions, they should be able to talk mentally if they knew about the link at this point!''

Kazuo chuckles sheepishly and nods. ''Hai, hai, sorry, little brother. Forgot for a moment there…'' then he turns serious again. ''So he might feel threatened, right? Maybe that's the reason why he went away,'' suggest the director.

Jirou nods in agreement. ''Yeah…'' he agrees softly, and his brother raises an eyebrow. Jirou ignores him, instead walking back to his own bureau, and looking at his laptop. ''By the way, I've ordered the new chemicals.'' At Kazuo's confused gaze, Jirou chuckles and shakes his head good-naturally. ''You asked me about it a while ago, we've used almost all our chemicals for the experiments. Anyway, they should be here tonight.''

* * *

Tenma, Hakuryuu and Shuu spend the first half of the day after their meeting with Kanashimi at God Eden. After they made a plan to break in at Kanashimi Jr High, the three friends went back to the island where they got a good night of sleep.

Around seven o'clock, they go over the plan they made with the Kanashimi team again, before heading to the dock. The three soccer players take the boat, and head to the train station.

Tenma and Shuu both fall asleep, knowing that they need their rest before they start their 'mission'. Hakuryuu looks at the two for a moment, before smiling weakly. They are the only ones on the train, which is a good thing for them – less chance of Tenma being recognized.

The albino sighs and stares out the window, fidgeting with his white hoodie. Minutes of silence pass, before Hakuryuu's phone rings. He frowns and takes out his phone, flashing a look at the two sleeping soccer players. They twitch a little, but stay asleep anyway.

With a sigh of relief, Hakuryuu answers the call. ''Hakuryuu speaking.''

'' _Hakuryuu? It's me,''_ says a familiar voice.

Hakuryuu's eyes widen in shock as his eyes fly to the sleeping form of the brunet. The albino struggles for a moment to keep his voice normal. ''Tsurugi. To what do I own the honor? Any news on Matsukaze yet?''

The other sighs. _''No. You sure he wasn't on God Eden? After all, it's a big island.''_

''No,'' says Hakuryuu immediately. ''I've spent the last few days there, checking up on Shuu and making sure Matsukaze really wasn't there. I can assure you, wherever he is, it's not on God Eden.'' Technically, it's not a lie. They aren't exactly on God Eden _right now_ …

'' _What's that sound?''_ asks Tsurugi suddenly, and Hakuryuu's eyes widen in shock. _''It sounds like you're on a train or something.''_

Hakuryuu forces himself to calm down. ''Yeah, that's right. I decided to kidnap Shuu from the island – he's worried sick about Matsukaze, and can't relax in the slightest. That's why I decided to take him out, get his mind off of the situation, you know?'' he tries to sound as normal as possible.

'' _Okay…''_ Tsurugi dismisses the topic, wanting to discuss more important things. _''Anyway, some of the adults are going to check the island soon anyway. I did say that you said Tenma isn't there, but they want to be sure.''_

The albino frowns. ''Do you know when? I doubt Shuu would like intruders on the island without knowing when they'll come. It's where he lives, after all.''

The white-haired player prays that Tsurugi doesn't suspect anything. _''Okay…''_ his voice sounds a bit doubting, but the dark-haired Raimon forward doesn't question Hakuryuu. _''I'm not sure, today or tomorrow I guess. I think they planned to go today, actually.''_

''Hmm,'' is Hakuryuu's vague answer. ''We probably won't be back until tomorrow, or very late tonight. I'll let Shuu know, and I'll let you know his reaction, okay?''

'' _Sure. Bye.''_

''Bye.'' With that, the albino ends the call. The white-haired player frowns, looking out the window again. ''Well, this isn't exactly a good development for us.''

* * *

''There they are,'' Shuu nods towards a group of people sitting next to the almost non-existing path. The three walk towards them, and the people look up.

''You made it,'' says Shimizu when he sees them, and stands up from where he was sitting on the ground. He is wearing a school uniform much like that of Raimon, but the Kanashimi uniform is a light grey, almost white, with black lines where the Raimon uniform has lightning bolts.

Shuu smiles at him. ''Yes. We're sorry if we're a bit late, but our train was delayed,'' says the dark-haired boy apologetic.

Shimizu shakes his head and answers Shuu's smile with one of his own. ''No, that's okay. We should go over the plan once more, before heading to the school. It'll be starting to get dark then anyway,'' says the second-year.

Shimizu is right. When they head out to the school, the sky is slowly darkening. It's about half an hour of walking through the forest surrounding the school, where they met up, and when they reach the building, the sky has already darkened quite a bit.

Even so, the white building is still colored orange from the setting sun. Not minding the light, Mizuno stops at the end of the forest. Hidden by the last few trees, he holds up a hand. ''This is good,'' says the green-haired second-year softly.

Shimizu nods in understanding. ''Okay, start hacking,'' he orders in an equally soft voice, before turning back to the others. ''Akemi-san, are you ready?'' the girl nods, grinning deviously. He then turns to his cousin. ''What about you, Hiroki?''

The dark-haired boy grins darkly. ''Tch. Who do you think I am, cous'n? I'm always ready.''

Silence falls over the group, only broken by the sound of the keys of Mizuno's computer. The light of the sun slowly turns from orange to red, making everything glow a crimson color.

Shuu sighs, trying to keep his nerves under control. ''I can't believe we're actually doing this,'' mutters the dark-haired boy, earning the attention from about everyone.

Hakuryuu, who is standing next to Shuu, nods. ''Yeah. Who would've ever thought that we'd break into a school?''

Tenma smiles at them. ''Don't forget that it's controlled by two evil freaky scientists,'' he adds, and the other two sweat drop.

''Like I said, don't be so happy about it,'' mutters Shuu to the brunet. ''You're making me even more nervous than I already am. How can you be so calm?'' The Kanashimi players snort and chuckle quietly at the exchange.

Tenma shrugs. ''Trust me, I'm not. I'm probably even more nervous than you are,'' he says, still smiling. ''But Haru's helping.''

At this, everyone looks at him, even Mizuno. The green-haired boy immediately goes back to his hacking though, leaving someone else to question the brunet's words.

''What do you mean?'' whispers Shimizu. With the deepening darkness, their voices start to become quieter too, trying to avoid being caught by the cameras that surround the school.

The brunet smiles warmly. ''Haru and I have been in contact since we entered the forest,'' says the Raimon player. ''He's bored to death in there,'' he nods to the school.

Having explained where Haru is the day before, everyone understands what Tenma means. Ueno grins, but there's a worried glint in his eyes. ''How's the brat holding up?''

Tenma sighs. ''He's fine, just bored. And nervous, too. Even so, he's taking my nervousness so I can concentrate better – but he says that it's not very good for _his_ nerves,'' finishes the brunet.

Ueno snorts at the joke from Haru. ''Yep, that's the brat.''

The brunet laughs softly. ''The worst part, though, is not being able to do anything,'' he says, and Ueno nods in understanding – he'd hate to just sit and wait while his team was doing something as dangerous as this. ''But it's not so bad,'' mutters Tenma, and the dark-haired boy raises an eyebrow. ''He's… kind of… in my head.''

''So?'' asks Shimizu, who has been listening to the conversation. ''What exactly does that mean?''

Tenma thinks for a moment. ''It's hard to explain, but… you could say that Haru is directly seeing everything I see, hearing everything I hear. It's like… being in your body, but not being able to move. Haru can see and hear and feel, but he can't control my body,'' explains the Raimon player.

Shimizu nods in understanding, but before he can say anything, Mizuno speaks up. ''I'm in. I've taken control of the school,'' says the greenhead.

Tenma frowns. ''But Kidou-san and the others have been trying to hack them for weeks, and they never get access.''

Mizuno looks at him and nods. ''Yes, but they're trying to get access to the files about the experimenting. I'm just taking control of the school's system, which is a lot less secured than those files,'' explains the second-year, and turns back to the look at his computer. ''Anyway, we can continue with the plan right now. I'll keep an eye on everything through the cameras out and inside the school, and replace the recording with that of a few days ago when we're done.''

With that, the others set out, only leaving Mizuno and one other player behind. Mizuno, because he's in charge of all the security and alarms, and the other player to stand guard by the greenhead.

The next part is Akemi's specialty. The group runs towards the school, and stop next to a window. The pink-haired manager looks through the window for a moment and nods to herself, before turning to the lock on the window.

She sees a small, red light on the lock, showing that the alarm is still on. After a moment, the light turns off. _'Thanks, Mizuno,'_ thinks Akemi, and the girl starts her work.

For a few moments, she is busy with the lock, before the satisfying click of an opening lock sounds through the night air. The girl turns around and grins. ''We're in.'' With that she opens the window, and climbs through it.

When they are all inside, Shimizu takes the lead. The window led to a hall, and Shimizu takes a moment to look around for the right direction.

Then his phone vibrates, and the captain takes it out. Mizuno's face appears on the small screen, and he grins at the purple-haired player. _''Hey captain, I hacked your phone. Anyway, straight ahead.''_

Mizuno's directions lead them to the heart of the school. This area is familiar to all the Kanashimi members. After all, this is where the director's office is located.

'' _ **I hate this place,''**_ mutters Haru in Tenma's head. At Tenma's questioning feelings, the redhead sends him a few memories.

 _Director's office. Hidden door. A long hallway. Another room, made of dark metal. Cabinets with small bottles – chemicals. Rows upon rows of chemicals. An operation table. The feeling of being chained to the table. A blue light, scanning. Needles, a sharp pain in his neck. And then pain. Burning, burning through his veins! Pain! Only pain, burning, heat, pain!_ _ **Stop!**_

Immediately, Haru sends Tenma and apologetic feeling. _**''I'm sorry! I had no idea- I didn't think- I'm so sorry, Tenma!''**_

'' _ **No…''**_ thinks Tenma back weakly. _**''It's okay. You just lost control for a moment.''**_ The brunet opens his eyes, noticing that everyone is staring at him. The brunet smiles weakly, leaning against the wall for a moment. ''Sorry,'' he breathes quietly. ''Haru and I don't really have the memory sharing thing under control.''

Shimizu immediately understands what the younger boy means. Some of his teammates seem to get is as well, but for the sake of Shuu and Hakuryuu, the captain explains. ''The place we're headed to, is also the place where… the experiments take place. You okay?'' at Tenma's nod, the older shoots him another worried look before turning around. ''Anyway, let's go.''

They continue, until they reach the door of the director's office. Immediately, Akemi sets to work. Frowning, she clicks annoyed with her tongue. ''Mizuno, how is this door secured?''

The greenhead is silent for a moment, before answering via Shimizu's phone. _''Ah. I have to hack the lock, too. That's why you can't open it, we have to open it at the same time, through the computer systems and through the lock itself. You ready?''_

Akemi nods. ''Yeah. Three, two… one.'' At the same time, the two start working. The pink-haired girl focuses solely on the lock. It takes all her skill to pick it, but eventually, after almost fifteen minutes, the sound of an opening lock sounds and the door opens.

Shimizu nods to her. Then he orders six of his teammates to wait outside, and he enters the room, followed by Tenma, Shuu, Hakuryuu, Ueno, Akemi, Hitomi and another first-year.

They immediately walk to the desk that is standing in the middle of the big room. It's solid metal, but a minute later, the metal slides open to reveal some king of keyboard with rows upon rows of buttons – Mizuno's handy work.

''Uh… what now?'' asks Tenma, looking at the bureau.

'' _I'm already hacking the files with the information about the gas system through the school, but it's not easy.''_

Tenma frowns, still looking at the buttons. Then suddenly, images flash before his eyes.

 _The same control panel. Holograms. Certain buttons. A pattern, a code._

'' _ **What was that?''**_ exclaims Haru in shock. _**''They look like memories, but they aren't mine… I think. Or… they feel… not familiar, but also not new. But they're not mine, I'm sure of it. And they aren't yours either, are they?''**_

'' _ **No,''**_ agrees Tenma. _**''But it's still what we need.''**_

'' _ **Do you think you can trust it?''**_ Haru sounds doubting. _**''After all, you might accidently turn the system on instead of off and release the gas.''**_

'' _ **We have no choice,''**_ counters Tenma. _**''Are you sure you don't recognize those memories?''**_

Suddenly, Haru seems to realize what it is. _**''Of course! Now I know!''**_ he thinks suddenly.

'' _ **Know what?''**_ asks Tenma in surprise.

Haru mentally grins, as he explains to Tenma where the memories came from. _**''Before our experiment started, I was used for another one. It was about seeking telepathic contact with other people and share information. In other words, coming in contact with someone else's mind and absorbing a stream of information from them,''**_ explains the redhead. _ **''It almost worked, and I could absorb memories and information from other people. But after the strain on my mind started to grow, they had to stop the experiment for safety reasons,''**_ his voice turns victorious. _ **''So in the end, it failed, but I did receive a stream of information from both the director and the coach, without them knowing. I had almost forgotten about the memories, but I recognize them now!''**_

'' _ **So that's exactly what we need!''**_ exclaims Tenma happily, and he walks to the control panel.

''Matsukaze-san? What're you doing?'' asks Shimizu surprised when he sees Tenma's movement.

The brunet only smiles, and starts to push the same buttons as in the memories he received from Haru. The others stare at him in shock, and the brunet explains while he works. ''Haru just told me something important. Before, he was used for another experiment, about absorbing information from other people's minds. It failed, but he did get a stream of memories from the Ishikawa twins. Those memories contained the code for this system.''

''That's great!'' Shuu grins, and Tenma grins back. Their other companions look relieved at the new information, whether it is because they have the information they need, or because the brunet isn't randomly pushing buttons, said brunet will never know. Holograms appear, as Tenma continues to work.

Ten minutes later, a hologram appears above the bureau. It's a blueprint of the school that also shows the pipe system through the walls. Everyone stares at it in shock. ''So it's true…'' whispers Hitomi, her reddish pink eyes glued to the hologram.

''Can you disable it?'' the question comes from Ueno, as he looks sharply at the only Raimon player present.

Said Raimon players frowns. ''I don't know…'' then, he brightens. ''But I think Mizuno-san can help. After all, he knows how to work with computers.''

'' _Give me a moment,''_ sounds Mizuno's voice from Shimizu's phone. A moment later, his face appears on another hologram that appears next to the blueprints. _''Yes, I know how to disable this. But it'll take time.''_

His captain frowns. ''Wait, are you alone right now?'' he asks when he doesn't see the first-year that should be accompanying the hacker.

The greenhead just makes a vague gesture to the left. _''I sent him to check out our surroundings ten minutes ago. He should be back in a moment.''_

Shimizu nods, and silence falls over the group. Half an hour passes, without anything happening. ''I'm bored,'' mutters Hakuryuu, earning a slap from Akemi. ''Hey!'' he protests.

The manager just smirks in answer, but before they can start an argument, something happens on Mizuno's side. The first-year suddenly returns, his deep breaths showing that he has just been running for quite a while. _''Mizuno-san, captain! Trucks! There are trucks on the other side of the school!''_ he pants out.

Immediately, Shimizu's eyes widen in alarm. ''Calm down and tell me exactly what you saw,'' he orders.

The first-year nods. _''Hai, captain. I was checking the other side of the school, when I suddenly saw two trucks. About four men were unloading the truck, it was filled with boxes but I don't know what's inside them. A fifth men was talking with the director and the coach!''_ he pauses for a moment. _''I heard something about new chemicals.''_

'' _Shit!''_ curses Mizuno. _''I'm not sure, but I think that those are the new chemicals the coach ordered! A few days ago, I heard them talking about having to buy more. That must be it.''_

''Meaning…'' Shimizu trails off, wide-eyes. ''Shit! If they're chemicals, it'd mean that they will be brought to the other chemicals already inside the school, in other words, here!'' he turns his attention to the first-year. ''How far were they with unloading the trucks?''

The first-year thinks for a moment. _''Not that far,''_ he says. _''Not even halfway through the first one.''_

Shimizu frowns thoughtfully for a moment. ''They must be unloading them first, before taking the chemicals inside. How far are you, Mizuno?''

The greenhead grits his teeth. _''Almost done with busting the system. But I still have to hide that I was ever in those files, otherwise they can track it and fix the systems. It'll take at least ten more minutes.''_

Shimizu nods quickly, and thinks for a moment. ''Tch, can't we just beat 'em up?'' asks Ueno annoyed, but his cousin immediately shakes his head.

''No, that'll attract attention. The coach will definitely recognize us…''

''But not Hakuryuu and Shuu, right?'' asks Tenma suddenly, and everyone looks at him. The brunet looks at his two friends hesitantly. ''I mean, they don't know you two and… never mind,'' he mutters uneasily at the idea of putting his two friends in even more danger.

''No, you're right,'' agrees Shuu. ''We can't exactly attack them or something, but we could cause a distraction.'' He shares a look with Hakuryuu, and the albino nods slowly.

''Yeah. We don't even have to show our faces,'' agrees Zero's captain. ''I mean, I'm wearing a hoodie, and Shuu can just take yours to hide his face,'' he says to Tenma, and the brunet nods slowly.

''But what would you do?'' asks Akemi with a frown.

Shuu and Hakuryuu share a look, and Shuu smiles a little. ''We'll improvise.''

* * *

Kazuo and Jirou are watching the men unloading the trucks. The leader is standing next to the twins, barking orders. One of the trucks is already empty, and the other almost. After the trucks are completely empty, the men only have to take it to Kazuo's office, and then there won't be any evidence of people being here in the middle of the night.

Suddenly, a loud thump sounds from one of the trucks. All the adults immediately turn to the empty truck, gaping at the hooded figure that landed on it. ''Well, what do we have here?'' asks a voice. It's male, and sounds like the voice of a teenager.

''Who are you?!'' asks Jirou, eyes narrowing at the figure.

The teenager laughs. ''Like I'm gonna tell you my name, I'm not stupid! But what are you doing here, in the middle of the night?''

Kazuo narrows his sapphire eyes behind his glasses. ''It has nothing to do with you, brat. Now what are you doing here?''

The teenager just laughs again. Suddenly, a shadow shoots through the dark night, blocking out the light of the moon for a moment.

The shadow is revealed to be another teenager, who comes falling out of a tree next to the school. The second teenager makes a summersault in the air, before landing on the second truck. His hoodie is black, instead of the white hoodie from his companion.

''Don't go around annoying people just because you're bored,'' says the black hooded figure disinterested, as he sits down on the edge of the truck. His voice is also that of a teenager.

The white hooded boy sighs. ''You're bored too, aren't you?'' he shoots back, and the black hooded teenager shrugs. ''Well then,'' starts the first boy, suddenly with a mischievous voice, ''let's have some fun!''

Kazuo grits his teeth in annoyance, as he glares at the two teenagers. ''We're working here. Get out of my school!'' he growls.

The black hooded figure turns his head to him, but his face is hidden in the shadows of the night so Kazuo can't see his expression. ''Technically, we're not inside your school. We're sitting on top of two trucks, outside,'' he puts emphasis on the word outside.

Jirou puts a hand on his twin's shoulder, to calm the older down. He flashes his brother a smile, before turning his attention back to the two teenagers. ''Even so, this is part of the Kanashimi school grounds. And you should respect your elders.''

''Hai, hai, sorry, sir,'' says the black hooded figure, still in that disinterested tone of his. ''We hope that you can find it in the goodness of your heart to forgive us,'' he mocks, and they can hear the smirk in his voice.

''You little-!'' Kazuo is starting to get angry for real, shaking Jirou's hand off his shoulder. ''I'll say it once more, leave my school!''

''Possessive much?'' mutters the white hooded teenager to his companion, but the men on the ground can hear them anyway. The other boy sniggers, and the first one looks at the director again. ''And I've been told that I have anger issues!''

Jirou sighs, glancing at his brother. ''Nii-san, calm down.'' At the warning in his voice, said brother looks at him.

The director nods once, pushing up his glasses. ''I apologize, Jirou. You're right, of course.'' He turns his attention to the two teenagers again. ''Is there a reason why you're here?''

They share a look for a moment, but then the black hooded one shrugs. ''He was bored.'' He nods in the direction of his companion, who holds his hands up in the universal sign for 'I surrender'.

''You can't deny that you weren't bored either, you know,'' responds the white hooded one, lowering his hands.

''Yes, I can.'' There is an amused tone in the other's voice.

''No you can't.''

''Yes I can.''

''You can't.''

''I can.''

''You can't.''

''I can.''

''You can't.''

''I can't.''

''You can- oh, dammit!'' the white hooded one glares at the other, who smirks at him. ''You tricked me!''

The black hooded one sighs. ''How dare you accuse me of such actions?'' it would be a lot more impressive if he hadn't said it in his disinterested tone.

''You two sound like children,'' mutters Kazuo annoyed. The two of them shrug at the same time. ''If you don't have anything better to do, then go away-''

He is cut off when the white hooded teenager takes his phone out, and curses. ''Tch. They've found out that we're not home.''

The black hooded one sniggers again. ''I did warn you, didn't I? Let's go.'' He stands up, jumping from the truck. Before any of the adults can react, he runs in the direction of the forest, followed by his white hooded companion.

* * *

When Shuu and Hakuryuu join the group again at the other end of the forest, far out of range of the cameras surrounding Kanashimi Jr High, everyone stares at them. For a moment, nobody says anything, until the silence is broken by Akemi's voice. ''You call that a distraction?''

While Shuu chuckles sheepishly, Hakuryuu just shrugs. ''Hey, it worked, didn't it?''

''You were acting like two fucking children,'' points Ueno out dryly.

Shuu is the one who answers this time. ''We had to improvise on the spot!'' he protests. ''You have no idea how hard that is!''

Shimizu sighs and shakes his head. ''Anyway, Mizuno managed to hide his presence in the files and destroyed the system. After that, we turned off the holograms and locked the office again. We left the school through the window, which Akemi-san closed again,'' he tells the two boys, who nod in understanding.

''I also turned the alarms on again,'' adds Mizuno. ''Then I destroyed the recordings of the past three hours from the cameras, and replaced it by recordings of last week, before turning the cameras on again. They won't know that we've ever been there unless they know what they're looking for,'' finishes the greenhead.

''How late is it?'' asks Shuu suddenly.

Tenma takes out his phone. ''We took the train at seven, got here at ten, and started the break-in at half past eleven… it's almost three o'clock in the morning,'' sums the brunet up.

''It seriously took us four fucking hours?!'' exclaims Ueno in shock. ''Ah man, and I didn't even get the chance to beat anyone up!''

Shimizu slaps him. ''That was only for worst-case scenarios, Hiroki. I'll spar with you later if you shut up now, okay?'' his cousin thinks for a moment, before nodding, as a grin appears on his face at the thought of a match against the Kanashimi captain. Said captain turns to the other people. ''I think it's time for everyone to go home. What about you three?'' he looks at Tenma, Shuu and Hakuryuu.

They share a look, and Tenma answers. ''We'll take the train, I think. It's at least thirty minutes walking to the station, and then we'll be at least two hours on the train. With a bit of luck, we'll get there at a time that we can take the boat,'' says the brunet.

Shuu nods. ''Yes, we can take the boat the earliest at six o'clock. We'll probably be at the docks around half past five,'' says the dark-haired boy.

Shimizu nods in understanding, and after saying their goodbyes, they go their own ways, desperate to get some sleep.

* * *

Hours later, Shuu, Hakuryuu and Tenma are back at the island. The three boys just woke up, even though it's almost noon – they had a long night – and are now eating a late breakfast. They sit in front of the cave, while discussing the events of that night, and another important matter: Tenma's 'disappearance'.

''They'll be looking here sooner or later,'' warns Hakuryuu seriously, red eyes looking sharply at his two friends. ''Tsurugi told me that the adults would probably come looking here today or yesterday. Seeing as they didn't come yesterday – Tsurugi would've let me known if that was the case – they'll come today, or at least in the next few days.''

Shuu nods in agreement. ''When are you planning to return to Raimon?'' he turns to look at his brown-haired friend, who bites his head.

The brunet leans back, staring at the clouds drifting in the blue sky. ''I want to go back on my own accord, not be forced back by the adults or the police or something,'' he says after a long while, and the other two nod. ''I want to wait a little longer, maybe train a bit on the island if possible?''

His dark-haired friend smiles at him. ''Of course, I'd like to train with you again,'' says Shuu, dark eyes looking warmly at his friend.

''I might be able to help out, too,'' mutters Hakuryuu, and looks away to hide the blush on his face. ''N-not that I'm worried about you or something! You could just use some tips!''

Shuu and Tenma laugh at the behavior of their albino friend, and Hakuryuu's face becomes even redder than it was before. Eventually, the white-haired boy can't help but smile too.

Tenma's laughter suddenly stops as he chokes on air. A moment, he is frozen in place, before the brunet starts to shake. ''Tenma?!'' asks Shuu alarmed, and looks on in horror as blood starts to drip from Tenma's left eye.

'' **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!''**

And then the brunet is _screaming._ Collapsing on the ground, he twists and claws at his eye, as screams filled with unbearable pain escape from his throat.

Immediately, Shuu and Hakuryuu hold Tenma down to keep him from hurting himself. They share a look filled with horror, but Tenma's struggles bring their attention back to holding down the screaming brunet.

A shiver goes down Shuu's spine as he listens to those screams. Because if he listens closely enough, he doesn't here _one_ , but _two_ voices scream.

* * *

 **Do I have something to say about this chapter? Only that it was incredibly annoying to write this. I really didn't have any idea about the break-in… so I just started writing. I had to stop more than once, having no inspiration – for example when the first-year saw those trucks. I was like 'what should they do now? What would I do in their place? A distraction…' and then I had to think about the distraction. 'The Ishikawa twins know the Kanashimi team and Tenma – but they don't know Shuu and Hakuryuu!' and the distraction itself was really written from nothing. I just started writing, and well… this was what it ended up like. Hope you like it~! I really had fun writing Shuu and Hakuryuu acting like two little kids! And of course, the cliffhanger~**

 **BY THE WAY I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS I WANT TO ASK YOU GUYS ABOUT THE PLOT:**

 **Does anyone have a real problem with it if I use elements from the Inazuma Eleven Go vs Danball Senki W Movie? Just a few (Actually, just one for now).**

 **And the other: I was originally planning on a happy end, but do you guys even** _ **want**_ **a happy end? Or do you want the Ishikawa twins to win?**

 **Please let me know in the reviews!**

 **\- Yara Meijer**


	18. Found

**Hello everyone, sorry for the wait! Reviews:**

 _ **HeyYaa-chan:**_ **Hmm, you can read my choice at the bottom author's note~!**

 _ **Coco Baldwin:**_ **A happy ending or a sequel, huh? I'll let you in on a secret! I'm going to make a sequel~**

 _ **Tsurugi Ann:**_ **Ahaha… sorry for the wait, really. I'm just very busy with school and other stuff… You liked it? Great! I can tell you that I have some MAJOR twists in mind for the next chapters XD You love it? Thanks, I'm doing my best! A happy ending… you can read my decision at the bottom.**

 _ **BlackCloud11234:**_ **Hey there, I'll keep it short because I already answered you in those PMs. Your favorite? Thanks, I feel honored! Your ideas are great! My decision is at the bottom of the chapter~!**

 _ **Frwt:**_ **Oh, no characters. Just some elements, actually. I'm not even sure if I'll really go through with it. But thank you for answering my question! You can read my decision at the bottom~! No worries, I don't really like Tenma suffering either (okay, that's a lie. I like it when the main character who's usually there for everyone is hurt, I always love to see those reactions from when other characters realize how much they care about the main character! Now I am the soft-hearted one~!)**

 _ **Guest:**_ **You can read my decision at the bottom, thanks for reviewing and sorry for the wait. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 _ **StarBrightZorua:**_ **Ah, yes, you're right. It's boring, I agree with you, but... I also like happy endings… I was really thinking a lot about this problem, and I've finally come to a decision… I hope you're happy with it. You can read it at the bottom.**

 _ **Aquila Aqua**_ **: Okay, so elements from the movie (not even sure if I'll go through with this idea), hmm, you're right about that… I've made a decision, you can read it at the bottom of the chapter~! Thanks for the advice :)**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Well, that's… clear. Hmm, my decision is at the bottom of this chapter. Hope you like it~!**

 **Really guys, THANKS FOR ALL THE REVIEWS! It made me really happy to see people like this story enough to answer my questions about the ending. Really guys, thank you. You're all amazing!**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own, except my OCs (the usual)~ :)**

* * *

 _Tenma's laughter suddenly stops as he chokes on air. A moment, he is frozen in place, before the brunet starts to shake. ''Tenma?!'' asks Shuu alarmed, and looks on in horror as blood starts to drip from Tenma's left eye._

'' _ **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!''**_

 _And then the brunet is screaming. Collapsing on the ground, he twists and claws at his eye, as screams filled with unbearable pain escape from his throat._

 _Immediately, Shuu and Hakuryuu hold Tenma down to keep him from hurting himself. They share a look filled with horror, but Tenma's struggles bring their attention back to holding down the screaming brunet._

 _A shiver goes down Shuu's spine as he listens to those screams. Because if he listens closely enough, he doesn't here one, but_ two _voices scream._

* * *

It's lunch time at Raimon Jr High, and the members of the soccer club are, as usual, sharing a table. However, instead of the usual loud chattering that surrounds the table, the only conversations are almost non-existent and muttered softly. And all because one of their members isn't there.

Shinsuke sighs from where he is sitting next to Hikaru and Sangoku. The small goalkeeper stares at the table in front of him, shoving his food around, but not eating anything.

Sangoku looks at him in worry. ''Shinsuke, is something wrong?'' the younger keeper tenses, but doesn't answer. His teammates look worriedly when he stays quiet, and the frown on Sangoku's face deepens. ''…Shinsuke?''

The other sighs again, slumping forward. ''I'm worried about Tenma,'' he mutters, not meeting anyone's eyes. Everyone freezes at his words. There is some kind of unvoiced agreement between the Raimon players that they do not talk about their captain, but apparently Shinsuke has decided they can't act like nothing is wrong any longer. He suddenly looks up, eyes worried and hesitant but also burning with a determined fire. ''It's been five days! Who knows where he is and what is happening to him while we're just sitting here, doing nothing!''

''Shinsuke…'' Sangoku's voice is shocked, but takes on a soothing tone when he continues. ''There is nothing we can do, we're just teens. The only thing we can do is wait for-''

''No!'' Shinsuke's loud voice cuts him off, and the older keeper's eyes widen in surprise. The first-year actually _glares_ at him. ''If the roles were reversed, if one of us was missing and Tenma was here, he would do everything he could to help! He would try to find us, I'm sure! So why! Why can't we do the same for him?'' Shinsuke's brown eyes fill with tears in frustration and fear. He shadows his eyes with his bangs, and his voice is not louder than a whisper, but everyone hears him anyway. ''What kind of friends are we if we can't even help Tenma?''

Everyone is silent, as Shinsuke seems to be done with ranting. His words hit close to home, shaking everyone out of their denial – because they know that the keeper is right, even if they didn't want to admit it at first.

Suddenly, the silence surrounding them is broken by a fist slamming on the table. The Raimon players look up at Nishiki, whose eyes are hidden in the shadows. ''So what do you say we do, Shinsuke?'' he asks, voice cold.

The small keeper gapes at him, too shocked to answer.

The older boy looks up, eyes frustrated and angry. ''What can we do?! Don't you get it, Shinsuke?! We're all worried about Tenma, but he's _gone_! And do you know why?'' his eyes are blazing with shame, anger and pain. ''Because we betrayed him!'' everyone flinches at this, but Nishiki continues anyway. ''Tenma's _gone_ because he thought he couldn't trust us! Of course I'm worried about him, but _what_ could we _possibly_ do tohelp him when he made it _clear_ that he _doesn't want our help_?!''

The stunned silence is broken by someone who has been quiet until now. ''You're right,'' mutters Amagi, and all eyes turn to him. ''We betrayed Tenma's trust, that's all there is to it. We were idiots and we made Tenma feel like he had to run away from _us_.'' His gaze turns to the first-year keeper, who is staring at him with wide eyes. ''No matter how much we regret our actions, there is nothing we can do now.''

''Senpai…'' Shinsuke's voice trails off, as he looks at Amagi. The older boy looks defeated, like he has given up all hope. The first year looks around the table, inspecting his teammates. Kariya is biting his lip and staring at the table, as if to avoid the painful truth. Aoyama, Ichino and Hayami look the same, clenching their fists and staring at the table, like they're trying to force the painful truth away. Sangoku, Nishiki, Hamano, Kurama and Kurumada look just as defeated as Amagi, with their shoulders slumped forward in shame and exhaustion.

Kirno, Tsurugi and Shindou just look downright depressed. The pink-haired defender is slumbed back, a hand on his eyes as if to hide his face from the world. Shindou is leaning forward, elbows on the table and face hidden in his hands. Tsurugi is definitely the worst. The normally cool-headed forward is clenching his fists so hard that the skin is turning white. He is leaning on the table, eyes closed and his whole body trembling.

Seeing the forward so out of character and defeated is hard on Shinsuke, as the keeper slumps down in defeat, agreeing with his teammates. The first-year stares at the floor, not having the strength to keep fighting and finally admitting defeat, seeing as no one else can keep going on.

All of this is seen by one other player. His mouth is slightly open in shock and his dark eyes scan his friends, wide with horror. Then his dark eyes close, and he takes a deep breath. _'Tenma-kun… I'm sorry for everything. If I hadn't told the team about Sasaki… no. I can't think like that. I'm sure Tenma-kun isn't blaming me, so I can't blame myself either! I might not be the strongest player on the team, but if I can do something, anything to help them… I owe it to Tenma-kun to at least try.'_

When Hikaru opens his eyes again, he looks at his teammates. He is surprised by how calm he feels, as if something tells him that this is the right thing to do. He knows that it might hurt his friends, but they need to hear it.

''Why are you all acting like this?''

Hikaru's voice is steady and calm, and all eyes snap to him. When no one answers, the first-year continues. ''I am sorry to say this, everyone, but we're being incredibly _selfish_ here.'' His friends stare at him in shock, and the purple-haired boy swallows at the shocked and slightly betrayed looks being send his way. But even so, he continues. ''We're talking about ourselves, what we could do, how stupid we were, but that's not important here.''

''Hikaru…?'' asks Kariya in shock.

The first-year takes a deep breath before he speaks again. ''This is not about what we did wrong. This is about how we can help Tenma-kun.'' He looks all his teammates in the eyes to show how serious he is. ''Tenma-kun didn't leave because of us. He left because of different reasons, and yes, we were one of them, but that doesn't mean that we can just give up! That we hurt Tenma-kun should be an even bigger reason to find him, so that we can apologize to him!'' his teammates are frozen, listening to his words in shock. ''If Tenma-kun was here, he wouldn't be talking about how he feels, he would be thinking about how he can _apologize_! So why aren't we doing the same thing?!''

The purple-haired forward sits back, letting his words sink in. ''Hikaru…'' a wide grin appears on Shinsuke's face, as he stands up on the bench to look over his friends. ''He's right! We should be thinking of ways to apologize! After all, the first step to solve an argument is to say sorry!''

One by one, smiles spread over the faces of the Raimon players, until the only two people who haven't said anything yet are Tsurugi and Shindou. Everyone stares at them, waiting anxiously for their reactions.

Finally, Shindou moves. He sits up, taking his hands from his face to look at his team. His face is still showing his exhaustion, but after a few moments, he slowly nods. ''Yeah…'' his voice is soft and vulnerable, but nobody comments on it as they all look at the blue-haired forward.

Tsurugi is staring at his hands, not meeting anyone's eyes. _'Is this what Tenma felt like when he found out I was replaced during the Grand Celesta Galaxy? What a horrible feeling… unlike me, Tenma has a right to make me feel like this. I was a jerk, while Tenma didn't do anything to deserve this feeling back then… and he still finds it in him to forgive me. He really doesn't give me a choice, does he?'_

He finally looks up, and smiles. ''What are we waiting for?''

''Tsurugi…!'' a smile appears on Hikaru's face, and he looks around at the faces of his friends. ''Hai!''

* * *

Shuu shields his eyes from the sunlight as he walks out of the cave. The day is coming to an end, turning everything a blazing orange.

''How is he?''

Shuu looks at Hakuryuu, who is sitting a few feet away from the entrance of the cave. The dark-haired boy sighs tiredly. ''It looks like he has fallen asleep, for now…''

Tiredly, the boy sits down next to the albino who inspects him worriedly. ''What about his eye?''

The other shakes his head. ''The blood flow has lessened, and I hope the bandages will do their work, but still… he lost a lot of blood when he suddenly collapsed this morning, though not enough to be dangerous. Through the day the blood has lessened, but it could get worse any moment.'' Shuu sighs again as he thinks back to the events from earlier that day.

'' _What the hell!'' yells Hakuryuu, his voice almost lost in the never-ending scream from the brunet. The albino is using all his strength to keep the brunet's arms down so he won't hurt himself, as the Raimon captain writhes on the ground in pain._

 _Shuu grits his teeth, as he pins Tenma's legs to the ground. The struggle goes on for a few moments, before Tenma's screaming suddenly stops and his body goes limp. For a moment, Shuu and Hakuryuu don't move, before almost hesitantly letting go._

 _The dark-haired boy sits back, wiping the sweat from his brow. ''That… did you hear that scream?'' he asks, and Hakuryuu nods. ''Two voices… do you think this is part of the experiment?''_

 _The albino curses and grits his teeth. ''Probably, from what you guys have told me, it sounds a bit too much like that 'sickness'. Only ten times words,'' he mutters, and Shuu nods in agreement._

 _Before he can say something, however, the silence is broken by another scream._

'' _ **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!''**_

 _The brunet screams in excruciating pain, an even harder and more painful scream than before, before going limp once again. Shuu and Hakuryuu stare at him in pure horror, wondering how someone could scream like that._

 _The albino tries to keep his breathing under control, because honestly, he's_ terrified _. What the hell could possibly drive someone to the stage of making such a sound?_

 _He's pulled out of his thoughts, when Shuu curses. The white-haired boy stares at his friend with wide eyes, because Shuu_ never _curses. The dark-haired boy simply ignores him, instead looking at Tenma's face – red blood is streaming down from his left eye, and Hakuryuu has to fight the bile rising up in his throat when he sees how much blood there is._

'' _We've gotta get this wrapped up,'' mutters Shuu. ''Come on, help me get him inside the cave.''_

From that moment on, Shuu has been trying to get the blood to stop, but only now he seems to have succeeded. The two friends are too tired to talk about what happened, and are just sitting in front of the cave in exhaustion.

* * *

Endou shoots Kidou and Gouenji one last look, before walking through the hall towards the soccer field. His two friends join him silently, and a few moments later the three men step on the grass of the field.

The stadium is empty, save for the people on the field. The ex-Raimon Trio walks forward, coming face to face with a white-haired man and nine teenagers clothed in blue and white.

''Coach Kuroiwa,'' greets Endou with a nod to the older man. Then the Raimon coach looks at the teens and smiles. ''Hello, everyone.''

Kuroiwa nods back in greeting. ''Kidou-san, Gouenji-san, Endou-san.'' The other two adults nod in greeting, inspecting the teens.

The nine are lined-up, meeting the adults' gazes head-on. After a moment, Raimon's coach slowly nods. ''Hmm… do you know why you're here, Earth Eleven?'' he asks them finally.

Matatagi is the one who answers. ''We have heard something about helping Raimon, but we don't know the details,'' says the dark-haired boy, and Endou thinks for a moment.

''That's right.'' The smile falls of his face, leaving a serious look in his dark eyes. ''I take it you have all seen Raimon's Downfall?'' he asks, and the teens nod stiffly at the mention of their friends' crushed team. Endou continues in a soft voice. ''After that, Raimon disbanded, as you all know.'' He closes his eyez, taking a deep breath.

Kidou, meanwhile, frowns when he sees his friend's reaction. ''But soon after, we found out strange things about Kanashimi Jr High,'' he continues, and Endou shoots him a grateful look.

''What kind of strange things?'' asks Manabe, as his eyes narrow in caution.

The three adults share a look, and Gouenji speaks up for the first time. ''It is of utmost importance to keep this a secret. Raimon needs your help, but only if you can promise not to tell _anyone_.''

The Earth Eleven share a few nervous looks, before the keeper nods. ''We promise.'' Ibuki's eyes burn with a determination. ''We want to help our friends. Tell us what's wrong.''

The gamemaker nods in approval, but his expression doesn't change. ''The director and the coach of Kanashimi are twins. Before they started the school, they were scientists. After weeks of research, we finally found something about them three weeks ago,'' starts Teikoku's coach.

''Apparently, the two of them didn't stop their research after starting Kanashimi Jr High,'' continues Endou, inspecting the Earth Eleven members closely. ''However, their research wasn't legal; they used real humans as tests subjects.''

''What?!'' cries Tetsukado in shock. His teammates stare at the Raimon coach wide-eyed, not able to believe what the man just said.

Endou nods grimly. ''Yes. They use the members of the soccer club as experiments,'' he says, and he balls his fists in suppressed anger. ''At the same time, Raimon lost their Keshin, and Tsurugi, Shindou and Tenma lost their Souls. The last few weeks, their Keshin have slowly returned. And that's where you come in.''

Kuroiwa addresses his team for the first time, staring coolly at the shocked teens. ''A while ago, Kidou-san contacted me. He explained the situation and asked if the Earth Eleven could help Tsurugi, Shindou and Matsukaze with getting back their Souls, and I agreed.''

The four adults wait for the teens' reactions. Slowly, Zanakurou smiles. ''If you're asking if we will help, the answer is yes. Of course we will, after all, the three of them and Nishinzono _are_ still our teammates.'' His friends nod in agreement, and Endou smiles relieved.

Then Minaho suddenly speaks up. He stares at the adults in suspension. ''And what exactly is going on with Captain?'' he asks slowly, and continues in a low tone. ''It's all over the news. Apparently, Matsukaze Tenma is _missing_ right now.''

His friends stare at him for a moment, before looking at the adults in the same way as Minaho is, agreeing with their teammate.

Endou hesitates for a moment, before sighing. ''They have a right to know,'' he mutters to his two friends, who nod slowly in agreement. The coach runs a hand through his dark hair, closing his eyes for a moment before looking back to the Earth Eleven. ''It's a long story, but you need to know anyway. About a week ago, Raimon found out something alarming…''

The fire forward is the one who continues the story, face unreadable but dark eyes filled with guilt. ''It turned out that Tenma was friends with one of the Kanashimi players.'' Gouenji holds up a hand to stop the questions that the teens are about to ask. ''Raimon confronted him about it, and they got to a compromise. They would accept their friendship and keep it a secret, if Tenma's friend didn't do anything to hurt them.'' His eyes darken. ''A day later, that compromise was broken.''

Manabe frowns, slowly voicing his question. ''Did it have anything to do with the Kanashimi-Arakumo match?''

Raimon's coach nods and sighs. ''Yes. After the events of that match, Amemiya Taiyou, Arakumo's captain and Tenma's friend, told Raimon about the match, and how Tenma's friend had acted. They… didn't exactly get into a fight, but Raimon wasn't too happy about it.'' Endou pauses for a moment, his eyes darkening at the memory. ''Apparently, Tenma went home after that and Raimon came to me to tell me about everything. Not even an hour later, Tenma was reported missing, only leaving a note to his cousin.''

The Earth Eleven share conflicted looks, worried about their teammate. ''Captain…'' mutters Nozaki worriedly, and the pink-haired girl bites her lip.

Kusaka places a hand on her shoulder, and sends her an encouraging smile when the girl looks up. ''He'll be okay. It's Captain, after all.'' Nozaki hesitates for a moment longer, before nodding and letting a small, worried smile grace her face.

''Yeah…''

Meanwhile, Ibuki looks at the four adults again. ''We'll help, because our friends are part of Raimon.'' His eyes narrow dangerously as he continues. ''However, you better make sure you find him soon.''

The Earth Eleven stare at the adults with blazing eyes, silently agreeing with their keeper. ''After all,'' continues Ibuki, ''we don't take kindly to someone hurting one of our own.''

''Especially not our Captain,'' agrees Matatagi coldly.

* * *

''He's losing too much blood, Hakuryuu!'' yells Shuu frustrated at his friend.

The other grits his teeth. ''What do you say we do then, Shuu?!'' he shoots back angrily.

''I don't know!'' Shuu is becoming more frustrated by the second, something rare for the usual calm teen. He throws up his arms in desperation. ''I just don't know! The only thing I'm sure about is that Tenma is losing too much blood and that we can't do anything about it!''

Hakuryuu calms down a bit at the desperate tone in Shuu's voice. ''I know, Shuu,'' he says softly. ''I know, but think about the risks…''

Shuu sits down on a fallen tree, hiding his face in his hands. When he speaks, his voice is soft and almost fearful. ''Of course I think about the risks, Hakuryuu,'' he whispers tiredly, looking up at the albino with lost eyes. ''Or we get professional help and everyone will know about Tenma's location, or we wait here and have the risk of Tenma losing too much blood…'' he hides his face again.

The white-haired teen sits down next to his friend with a sigh. ''I'm sorry for overreacting like that. You're right, of course. But then… what do we do?''

Shuu just shakes his head, glancing at the entrance of the cave in which Tenma currently resides in. About an hour ago, Tenma's eye started to bleed again. Even though Shuu managed to treat it with his knowledge of herbs from the island, the dark-haired boy doesn't know when his friend's condition will worsen again. ''He's stable for now, but his eyes could just start bleeding again any second. It's just so… so unpredictable. If he loses even more blood, I'm afraid he's going to need a blood transfusion.''

''That serious, huh?'' Hakuryuu leans back tiredly. ''And you don't know if, or rather when, his eye will start bleeding again.'' His friend shakes his head, and the albino closes his eyes. Silence surrounds them for a few minutes as they sit in the late evening sun. ''…Okay.''

Shuu looks up. ''What?''

The other turns to him and smiles tightly. ''Okay. We'll take him to the hospital.''

The dark-haired teen looks at him in surprise. ''Hakuryuu...'' A small smile lights his face. ''Thanks.''

''No problem. Let's check up on him, okay?'' suggest the albino, and Shuu nods.

* * *

The next day, the seven teams from the Holy Road stare at the Earth Eleven in shock. The nine teens smirk at the surprised looks, inspecting the other teams.

Three people make their way through the crowd of soccer players, all three wearing the same yellow and blue soccer uniform. The eyes of the Earth Eleven members soften at the sight of their teammates, and Ibuki steps forward. ''Shindou, Tsurugi, Shinsuke,'' he greets, and offers a smile.

Shindou smiles back weakly, and the white-haired keeper frowns at the sight of the game maker. He is paler than usual and has dark rings under his eyes. His dark orbs are sad and tired, and the smile on Shindou's face looks fake and out of place.

''What are you guys doing here?'' Ibuki's eyes turn to Tsurugi as the dark-haired forward voice. He looks just as exhausted as Shindou and mentally, the keeper frowns.

Said keeper sighs, and his smile disappears a little. ''We've been asked to help you two with your Souls,'' he answers finally, and the Soul users flinch when they hear the word 'two'.

''So you know?'' asks Shindou, and Matatagi snorts.

''Know?'' he shakes his head in frustration. ''It's all over the news, Shindou, of course we know. Even more so, we would be crazy to _not_ know about Matsukaze's disappearance. That's why we're here.''

''What Matatagi is trying to say,'' says Zanakurou, and all eyes turn to him, ''is that that's one of the main reasons that we decided to help you. We're worried about Captain.''

Shindou's tired smile widens a bit at the worry in the Lion's voice, and when he glances at Matatagi's face, he sees barely hidden concern in his eyes. ''Hm…'' he answers vaguely. ''Well, all help is welcome, guys. You already know Raimon, and the others are from Arakumo, Teikoku, Hakuren, Kidokawa Seishuu, Genei and Seidouzan.''

The Earth Eleven nod at the other teams in greeting, before everyone goes back to training. Even with the distraction of practice, the tired and sad atmosphere that surrounds the soccer teams doesn't disappear.

* * *

''The last phase is starting,'' states Jirou as he looks at the usual holograms that show the process of their experiments. Kazuo just nods, not looking up from the documents that he is signing. His younger brother sighs and looks at Kazuo. ''Nii-san, I know you're annoyed by those two boys from yesterday night, but you need to pay attention now. This is important.''

The older grits his teeth in annoyance, before allowing his body to relax. ''Fine. Sorry, Jirou. What were you saying again?''

''I said,'' states the coach slowly, as if talking to a child, ''that the last phase of the experiment between E11 and E12 is starting,'' says Jirou, and smirks when Kazuo rolls his eyes in annoyance. ''Have you already heard something from Raimon?''

The director hums for a moment, looking through some files before finding what he is looking for. Taking a file from the stack, he scans it for a moment. ''This is the report from one of our spies. Like we already know, Raimon got back together a few weeks ago, and have been training ever since. Even so, hacking their training fields is impossible, getting a spy inside is impossible, and bribing any of the players or coaches is impossible.''

Jirou nods at his brother's statement. ''We also know that Raimon is going to challenge us, right?'' he asks, leaning back in his chair.

The older nods again, not looking up from the file. ''Yes, that's right. Because we haven't been able to hack their training grounds, we don't know how much they've improved. What we do know is that they've been getting help from other teams, but we haven't been able to find out which teams.''

''Do you know when they're going to challenge us?''

''No,'' says the oldest immediately, placing the file on his deck and finally meeting Jirou's eyes. ''But I think that they're still busy with Matsukaze right now, so we still have time.''

''Enough time for the experiment to finish?''

Kazuo stands up and walks to his brother, examining the information on the holograms. He hums in thought, and nods to himself before answering. ''Yes, I think so. The experiment will be finished in about six hours at the rate it is going. And then we'll finally have our secret weapon inside Raimon's ranks…'' he trails off, a cold smile taking over his features.

Jirou plays with his long hair while he gazes at his brother. For a moment, his sapphire eyes stare at the older in doubt, before the coach sighs and asks the question that has been plaguing him since they played their first match against Raimon. ''And then what?''

''What?'' Kazuo looks at him and raises one eyebrow in question.

The younger sighs and looks down. ''Will you finally have your revenge if we beat Raimon again, nii-san?''

Kazuo's eyes darken at his brother's question. ''Not my revenge, _our_ revenge, and not if, but _when_. Don't forget that we're in this together, little brother,'' he growls lowly. The affectionate term suddenly sounds cold and dangerous, and Jirou flinches.

''Hai, nii-san…'' agrees the coach softly, not meeting the other's eyes. He stands up, still avoiding the director's eyes. ''I have to check on the team's training,'' he says and tries to walk away.

Suddenly a hand grabs his wrist. Jirou whips around, and looks at his brother. The only sight of fear is the slight widening of his eyes. Meanwhile, Kazuo smiles, but the dangerous look doesn't leave his eyes. ''Don't forget, we're twins. We do everything together, we complete each other, we are two parts of a whole,'' he whispers lowly, and Jirou shivers.

''Of course, nii-san,'' agrees the coach smoothly.

Kazuo's smile widens even more as he stares forward. Even though his eyes are meeting those of Jirou, the older twin seems to be lost in his own world. ''Together we'll get our revenge, together we'll make those bastards feel everything we felt and more, together we will _crush_ them and regain what we lost! Won't we, Jirou? Won't we?!''

This time, the younger man really flinches and nods quickly. ''Yes, you're right nii-san. But I should really go watch practice, we wouldn't want those brats to mess up our revenge, now would we?'' he says quickly, and Kazuo's smile falls off his face. Immediately, Jirou continues. ''If you stay here to monitor the experiment, then I'll make sure everything is good with the team, okay?''

Kazuo nods, and seems to return to the present. ''Of course.'' He lets go of Jirou's wrists, and the younger man immediately leaves the room.

In an abandoned hallway, the coach sighs and leans against the wall. He closes his eyes, trying to calm his breath. ''Damn it…'' he whispers, and shivers when he remembers his brother's distant eyes. ''Damn it!'' curses the man, opening his sapphire eyes.

He rubs the wrist that Kazuo grabbed, inspecting it for a moment. It's red, and the coach immediately knows that it will bruise. ''Damn it… why can't everything just go back to normal? Nii-san… why did this have to happen to us – to _you_?'' he whispers, balling his hand to a fist for a moment, before sighing and continuing on his way.

* * *

Somewhere halfway through training, a pale Endou walks on the field. He talks with the other coaches for a moment, before calling the practice to a halt.

''Coach?'' questions Kirino after all the eight teams have gathered by the benches. ''What's wrong?''

The players share a look, everyone wondering what would make the Raimon coach react like he does – and all the other coaches, actually. They all look pale and worried, conversing in hushed whispers with each other.

Endou hesitates for a moment and runs a tired hand through his dark locks. ''I know where Tenma is.''

Silence.

The silence is followed by shocked shouts and demands for answers. The coaches immediately take charges, ordering their respective teams to quiet down. ''Everyone be quiet! We'll only answer your questions if you stay silent!'' orders coach Karibe from Arakumo, her brown eyes glaring at the teens.

After everyone has settled down, Endou sighs and continues. ''I just got a call from a hospital in Tokyo,'' he says, and Tenma's respective teams and friends pale drastically. ''About two hours ago, two teens brought him in. Apparently, he hurt his eye,'' tells the Raimon coach.

Seidouzan's coach takes over from his friend. ''He had lost too much blood, and his two companions didn't have a choice but to take him to a hospital,'' says Gouenji. ''They've given Tenma a blood transfusion, and he's alright now. When the hospital staff asked for the names of the other teens, they didn't get an answer, and they could only give us a description. A boy with dark hair and dark eyes in the same shade, with two strips of his hair colored red at the top and white at the bottom. The second boy had white hair in a ponytail and reddish-brown eyes.''

Raimon shares a look, coming to the same conclusion. ''Damn it!'' growls Tsurugi angrily, and everyone looks at him.

Shindou places a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. ''Calm down, Tsurugi.''

''How can I be calm?'' asks the forward, glaring at the ground in anger. ''Damn you, Hakuryuu! He told me that there was no one on God Eden!''

''Tsurugi, enough,'' says Endou in a commanding tone of voice. ''I know you're angry at Hakuryuu and Shuu for helping Tenma and lying to you, but beating yourself up over it isn't going to work.'' He directs his attention back to all the teens on the field. ''Raimon is going to Tokyo now, practice is cancelled. Dismissed.''

Raimon gathers around their coach, when someone else walks up to them. Endou's eyes look at the orange-haired boy in surprise, and the teen bows. ''Please! Take me with you!'' says Taiyou.

''Amemiya…'' says Endou in surprise, before smiling softly at the boy. ''I'm okay with it, but you'll have to ask your coach.''

Taiyou stands up straight again, looking at his coach. The female inspects him for a moment, before sighing and smiling good-naturally. ''Fine, fine, you can go. Just don't get into trouble.''

''Thank you!'' says Taiyou happily.

A few minutes later, Endou nods. ''Okay, let's go.'' He walks towards the exit.

The sixteen teens share a look, before following the coach. _'Hold on, Tenma, we're coming.'_

* * *

 **Cliffhanger! Raimon is coming for Tenma! And you guys got a deeper look into the Ishikawa twins~ they're not just doing all this bad stuff for fun, you know~!**

 **Sooo yeah, thanks for all the reviews guys! Here's my decision about the ending:**

 **Well, I've decided to settle on a half-half ending. It will end good… kinda… but also with some kind of cliffhanger (sorry, not sorry). BUT! I was already planning on making a sequel~ :P so yeah, the Stand series aren't done yet! This story will have a slightly dark ending, not exactly happy or something… but I'm pretty sure the sequel with have a happy ending. I hope you all like my decision for the sequel and the two endings~! If you have other ideas, please let me know in the reviews.**

 **\- Yara Meijer**


	19. Escape

**Hello everyone!**

 **Here's the next chapter~! Thank you for all the reviews, guys, it made me really happy!**

 _ **Aquila Aqua:**_ **Hahaha, sorry, more suffering for Tenma in store. I'm looking forward to the sequel, too!**

 _ **Coco Baldwin:**_ **I made your day? Great! Hopefully, this chapter can make your day again! Thank you, I'm doing my best with this story. I'm also working on some other stories, but it will take a while before I'm going to upload them. No problem, if you have any questions, just ask~!**

 _ **Hey:**_ **Thank you, I'm trying~**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Haha, happy to hear that!**

 _ **StarBrightZorua:**_ **Hahaha, you're closer than you think, actually. Their will come another twist about the twins, I hope you'll enjoy it.**

 _ **Frwt:**_ **Hahaha, someone's happy. Sorry, I don't exactly understand what you mean. Could you please explain what you want to know? Then I can answer your question(s)~**

 _ **Tsurugi Ann:**_ **Yes, it can be really troublesome sometimes. I hope you like this chapter~! No, no, not abandoning anything, don't worry. Just taking more time to write the chapters. I like to write everything at once, but I don't have the time for that because of homework, and during the weekend I hang out with friends and stuff. That's why the chapters appear later now. I'm trying to upload something every week/two weeks, though. Yep, the Ishikawa twins and the original Raimon have a history together… though I'm still working on the details there~! Thank you for all your reviews, it makes me really happy to know you enjoy this :)**

 _ **seshhxkagii99:**_ **Hahaha, well, sadly, I don't speak Spanish. Had to use Google Translate there. Anyway, glad you like it!**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Thank you, and here's the next chapter~! Hope you enjoy~!**

 _ **Animago:**_ **Hahaha, here's the next chapter. Happy about the sequel, huh? Great! Please enjoy this chapter and thank you for your review~!**

 **Really guys, thank you so much for all the reviews!**

 **Disclaimer: the usual, don't own except my OCs~!**

 **And here's the next chapter of Stand!**

* * *

 _Raimon gathers around their coach, when someone else walks up to them. Endou's eyes look at the orange-haired boy in surprise, and the teen bows. ''Please! Take me with you!'' says Taiyou._

'' _Amemiya…'' says Endou in surprise, before smiling softly at the boy. ''I'm okay with it, but you'll have to ask your coach.''_

 _Taiyou stands up straight again, looking at his coach. The female inspects him for a moment, before sighing and smiling good-naturally. ''Fine, fine, you can go. Just don't get into trouble.''_

'' _Thank you!'' says Taiyou happily._

 _A few minutes later, Endou nods. ''Okay, let's go.'' He walks towards the exit._

 _The sixteen teens share a look, before following the coach._ 'Hold on, Tenma, we're coming.'

* * *

The first thing Haru notices is that he is lying on something soft… a bed? Probably. The second thing he notices is the burning pain in his left eye, followed by his sore body. The third thing he notices, are the soft voices from somewhere next to him.

When he strains his ears, the redhead can only just hear what the voices are saying. ''… has been out for a few hours now,'' says a strangely familiar voice. ''Do you think it has to do with… you know, the experimenting?''

It's silent for a moment, before someone answers. ''Yes. Shuu-san called me a while ago… Matsukaze-san is in the exact same state as Sakaki. They even had to bring him to a hospital.''

Someone curses softly – a female voice. ''Even though the hospital staff would find out about his identity?'' asks the third voice.

The second voice answers. ''They didn't have a choice.''

' _Who are they? Why do their voices sound so familiar?'_ thinks the redhead to himself, before concentrating on the conversation again.

''Tch, bastards,'' mutters an annoyed voice. ''They just have to fucking mess with our bodies, don't they?''

' _Who are they?! How do I know them?! I can't remember anything!'_

A fifth voice signs softly. It's another female voice, softer and kinder than any of the other voices. Suddenly, Haru feels fingers carefully intertwine with his, and the girl's voice finally says something. ''Haru-kun…''

' _That… that voice… that's… Hitomi-san…'_ Haru realizes suddenly, as he recognizes the voice of the youngest manager. _'And the other voices… Akemi-san… and Ueno-senpai, Mizuno-senpai and captain… I want to see them.'_

The redhead concentrates on finding his eyes, trying not to flinch back from the pain in his body. Slowly, he gets the feeling back in his limps, before he slowly feels his eyes again – and the pain in his left eye immediately increases.

In reflex, Haru squeezes Hitomi's hand, and the girl gasps. ''Haru-kun…? Can you hear me?'' she asks, and the other voices stop talking.

The redhead just groans in answer, as his other hand flies to his face. Carefully, he touches the bandages that cover his left eye, and he forces his other eye open.

As a single orange orb is revealed to the world, the others in the room wait with bated breath. As Haru's eye focuses, he forces himself to ignore the pain in his other eye. Instead, he scans the room. He's in the nurse office of his school, lying on one of the beds. Hitomi is sitting on the chair next to his bed, her beautiful reddish pink eyes looking at him worriedly. Behind her are Shimizu, Ueno, Akemi and Mizuno, also looking worriedly at the younger boy.

''What was I…?'' croaks the redhead, and looks at his friends with a questioning gaze.

Shimizu sighs and smiles at him. ''You suddenly collapsed during practice, and your eye started bleeding. The coach took you here – though he didn't look so surprised. After practice ended, we got permission to check up on you,'' explains the second-year, and Haru nods slowly.

Carefully, he sits up, with Hitomi supporting him. The others look on worriedly, but don't try to stop the redhead. When he is sitting up, Haru stays silent for a moment. ''What about Tenma?''

Shimizu stiffens. ''You heard that?'' at Haru's nod, he sighs. ''Exactly like I said. I got a call from Shuu-san that Matsukaze-san had to go to the hospital because he suddenly collapsed. His eye started bleeding, and he had to go to the hospital because he was losing too much blood.''

Haru doesn't react, instead touching the bandage on his eye again. Just when he opens his mouth to say something, footsteps can be heard from the other side of the closed door.

''-intercepted a call from a hospital in Tokyo. They've found Matsukaze,'' says a cool voice, and the teens immediately stop talking when they hear the conversation.

''Tokyo?'' asks the exact same voice, but the soccer players know that there are actually two people talking. After all, the twins have the same voice. ''When did you hear this?''

The footsteps stop right outside the door, like the two adults want to finish their conversation before entering the room. ''About an hour ago. Our cameras have also caught sight of the Raimon bus heading in the direction of Tokyo.'' A short pause. ''We'll head there too in a moment. This experiment will work best if E11 and E12 are both here.''

Haru freezes, before sharing an alarmed look with his teammates. He doesn't have the chance to say anything, however, because the coach and the director come in. The two of them stop when they catch sight of the red-haired midfielder.

Kazuo starts to smile pleasantly, and walks forward. ''Ah, Sakaki, you're awake. I take it you're feeling better?''

Haru swallows, forcing himself not to glare at the man. ''Yes, director. Thank you for your concern.'' He looks at his coach, who is still standing by the door. ''I heard you were the one who took me here. Thank you, coach Ishikawa.'' He forces the words from his throat, because he knows that he'll be in for punishment if he doesn't.

The coach nods stiffly, not saying anything. Haru notices that he is keeping a hand on his wrist, like he's been hurt, but before the redhead can think anything about it Kazuo speaks up again. ''Good. We have business to attend to, but you can rest here, before returning to your _room._ I expect you to be a good boy and follow the rules, because you know what will happen if you try to escape, don't you?''

The _rules_ are the orders for him to stay in his room. The redhead doesn't know what the man will do if he doesn't follow the 'rules', and he doesn't want to find out either.

At Haru's nod, his smile widens and he leaves the room, followed by his brother. For a moment, it's silent in the room, before Ueno curses. ''Damn those fucking bastards. They're going after Matsukaze next!''

''We've gotta do something,'' agrees Akemi, a grin on her face but an angry and worried look in her purple eyes. She flings her pink hair over her shoulder, before looking at Haru. ''Oi, Bakaki, don't you have a link with him?''

Haru nods. ''Hai. I… I can try to contact him,'' he says softly. ''But I don't know if I can concentrate enough now.''

The Kanashimi captain bites his lip, before coming to a decision. ''Sakaki, try to contact Matsukaze-san. We'll keep everyone out of the room while you do so.''

* * *

Tenma looks at Shuu, not saying anything. After a while, he finally speaks up. ''It's okay, Shuu. You didn't have a choice.''

Shuu smiles brightly at the brunet. ''I'm glad you're not angry,'' says the dark-haired boy. ''So, how're you feeling?''

Tenma thinks for a moment. When he woke up, about half an hour ago, his entire body was sore and his left eye was hurting a lot. During the time Shuu explained that they had to take him to the hospital to get his eye treated, the pain lessened, but it's still there. ''Better than when I woke up, but my eye still hurts,'' answers he truthfully.

Currently, the brunet is sitting in a hospital bed in a private room. Shuu is sitting on a chair next to his bed, just having explained everything that has happened since he collapsed. Hakuryuu is 'getting a snack' though Shuu said that he's probably just walking around the hospital.

Suddenly the door opens, and the white-haired boy enters. He looks at Tenma in surprise, before closing the door and walking towards his two friends. After sitting down in another chair, he offers the brunet a small, cocky smile. ''You're finally awake, huh? Took you long enough.''

Tenma chuckles sheepishly, and Hakuryuu's smile widens. Then his smile falls off his face, as he turns serious. ''I just heard some of the nurses talking. They've called Raimon.''

The Raimon player stiffens, but then he sighs. ''It's okay,'' he says, and smiles brightly. ''After all, I've done what I came for, haven't I? It's time to rejoin my team,'' he explains.

Hakuryuu and Shuu share a look, and the albino nods. ''They'll be here in an hour or two, so we can just wait here. How's your eye?''

The brunet places a hand on the bandage that covers his left eye. ''I think the bleeding has stopped, but it still hurts,'' he says. ''Even so, it's-''

'' _ **Tenma!''**_

The brunet cuts himself off when he hears the voice of his friend. ''Haru…?'' he asks surprised, and his two companions look at him in surprise. _**''Haru, what's wrong?''**_

'' _ **Oh thank goodness! I've been trying to contact you for twenty minutes!''**_ answers the redhead, and Tenma frowns at the panicked feelings from his friend. _**''It's the director and the coach! They've intercepted the call from the hospital, and are on their way to Tokyo right now!''**_

'' _ **What?''**_ asks the brunet in shock. _**''A-are you sure?''**_

'' _ **Yes, I overheard them talking. They're planning to take you here, for the experiment. You have to get out of there!''**_ warns Haru. _**''I think they'll be there in two hours!''**_

' _Two hours… at the same time Raimon will likely arrive…'_ Tenma hesitates for a moment, before coming to a decision. _**''Thanks, Haru, I'll warn Shuu and Hakuryuu.''**_

He opens his eyes, and looks at his two companions. ''Haru… he overheard the Ishikawa twins talking. They intercepted the call to Raimon, and they're on their way now.'' The eyes of his friends widen in shock. ''They'll be here in two hours.''

''Two hours?!'' exclaims Shuu. ''So they'll arrive at the same time as Raimon…! The risk to stay here is too high!''

The albino nods. ''I agree, we can't stay here.'' A devilish grin appears on his face. ''So… have you two ever escaped from a hospital before?''

* * *

An hour later, Shuu opens the door of the hospital room, and looks outside. A moment later, he turns back to his friends and smiles. ''Coast is clear.''

Hakuryuu nods, and looks at Tenma who has changed back into his casual clothes, using his dark hoodie to hide his face. Even so, with Hakuryuu and Shuu as company, it's quite easy to figure out his identity, but it'll have to do for now.

They leave the room, Shuu a few feet in front of the other two to check the halls for any hospital staff. The past sixty minutes, they've thought of a plan to 'escape' from the hospital without being seen. Hakuryuu, having walked around the entire hospital, found a route which would probably be abandoned.

The kitchens are not in use at the moment, and won't be for another hour when the kitchen staff will start preparing lunch. The staircases in the back of the hospital, which are used by the kitchen staff, are likely abandoned too. Luckily for them, the kitchen is at the ground floor of the building.

They slowly make their way to the back of the hospital, when Shuu suddenly stops from where he is looking around a corner. He turns around and puts a finger to his lips. The dark-haired boy looks around for a moment, before nodding to a door next to the elevator that leads to a staircase. Quietly opening the door, the three step inside and wait.

Shuu, who is closest to the door, looks out the small window glass in the door. Someone clothed in white is turning around the corner, but the dark-haired boy can't see him very well from his position.

Suddenly, his eyes widen and he looks at his friends. ''I think he's coming here! Quickly, hide!'' he hisses.

''Where?'' shoots Hakuryuu back. ''We can only go up the stairs or down, and we don't know which way the doctor will take. It's a fifty-fifty situation!''

Shuu hesitates for a moment, biting his lip, before shooting another look through the window. The doctor has almost reached the door. ''Up!'' he hisses, and his two friends follow his command, quickly running up the stairs.

They can hear the door open, and the three of them tense, as they wait for the doctor to walk further.

' _Damn it…'_ thinks Shuu, as sweat rolls down his cheek. _'Did I make the right choice? Up, or down? Please go down!'_ he begs mentally.

After a few terrorizing seconds, they finally hear the doctor walk further after closing the door. As the footsteps come closer, the three soccer players get more and more nervous. If they're found now, they won't be able to escape anymore.

Tenma looks hesitantly down, seeing the doctor almost right under him. The brunet holds his breath in anticipation, and then the doctor walks towards the stairs that go down.

When the doctor's footsteps are gone, Tenma leans back against the stairs. He closes his eyes for a moment, trying to get his heartbeat under control. ''I thought he would come this way for sure!'' exclaims the Raimon player, and the other two smile nervously at him.

''Yeah,'' agrees Hakuryuu, before standing up and walking down the stairs. ''Come on, I don't want to spend any more time in here than I absolutely have to.''

His friends nod, and the three of them continue on their way. They reach the kitchen stairs without running into any more trouble, and follow them to the ground floor.

There, they sneak into the kitchen, which is indeed abandoned. Hakuryuu smirks and walks to the back of the kitchen. ''And here's our way outside,'' he says proudly, gesturing to the window.

Shuu and Tenma share a look. ''A window?'' asks Shuu.

The albino nods. ''Yes, this leads to the back of the hospital, which is usually only used to deliver things, so it'll be abandoned right now. No one will see us sneak out,'' explains Hakuryuu, and opens the window.

The dark-haired boy nods, and walks towards the window. He leans outside to check the distance between the window and the ground, and nods when he sees it's not even two meters above the ground. He climbs on the windowsill, and jumps out of the window on the other side.

Immediately following him is Tenma. The brunet is a bit unsteady because of the pain and the blood loss, and Shuu frowns when he sees him falter for a moment. Even so, the brunet takes a deep breath and jumps down, immediately letting himself fall to his knees as to avoid hurting his legs.

A moment later, Hakuryuu joins them on the ground, and looks at the brunet. ''You okay?''

''H-hai,'' answers Tenma breathlessly. ''Just a bit dizzy.''

Hakuryuu and Shuu look at him for a moment longer, but then Shuu turns to the abandoned parking area. ''Let's go.''

* * *

The bus is filled with a tense atmosphere as the Raimon bus heads to Tokyo. The sixteen players are all nervous for their future encounter with the midfielder, and also quite worried.

Hikaru is sitting next to Kariya, staring past the tealhead out of the window at the passing cars. They've been in the bus for an hour now, and will reach the capital in about forty minutes. The forward sighs as his thoughts go back to his captain. _'Tenma-kun… I hope you're okay.'_

''-karu,'' says a voice suddenly. ''Hikaru!''

''Huh?'' the purple-haired boy looks up, seeing brownish golden eyes look at him only millimeters from his face. For a moment, the first-year just stares, before flinching back. ''Wah!'' because of the sudden movement, Hikaru loses his balance and falls, rather painfully, from his seat, disturbing the peace in the bus.

''Ouch…'' mutters Hikaru, rubbing the back of his head as he looks up at Kariya. ''You scared me!''

Meanwhile, the other players all stare at Hikaru, who is still lying on the floor of the bus. A moment later, they're all shaken from their daze. ''Are you okay?'' asks Shinsuke worriedly, and Hikaru chuckles sheepishly.

''H-hai…'' he sits up, looking up at Kariya. ''What was that for?''

The tealhead shrugs. ''You weren't reacting. And it's not my fault you didn't wear a seatbelt!'' he says immediately.

Hikaru sighs and sits down in his seat, this time making sure that he is wearing his seatbelt correctly. Then the purple-haired boy smiles at his friend, and turns back to his teammates who are all still staring at him. ''Really, I'm fine!''

Shindou cocks an eyebrow. ''Why weren't you wearing your seatbelt?'' asks the second-year.

The first-year chuckles awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. ''Hehehe… um… I forgot?'' he offers, and the ex-captain sweatdrops.

''Anyway, what were you thinking about?'' asks Kariya when everyone has settled down again. Hikaru looks up in surprise, and his friend explains himself. ''Before you fell out of your seat, I mean.''

''Oh,'' says Hikaru. He thinks back for a moment. ''Hmm… I was thinking about Tenma-kun,'' he answers, and Kariya cocks an eyebrow. ''I hope he's okay,'' is Hikaru's answer to the unvoiced question.

The other frowns. ''Yeah… but he was at the hospital, so…'' he trails off, concern coloring his voice.

''He'll be fine,'' says a voice from behind them suddenly, and the two turn around to face Tsurugi. He's sitting next to Taiyou, orange eyes looking at them sharply. ''Like Tenma would say, 'everything will work out somehow'.''

''Exactly!'' agrees Shinsuke from where he is sitting next to Amagi. ''And he's right! After all, it always works out!'' says the small keeper with a smile that rivals Tenma's.

Aoi nods too, from where she is sitting a few sits in front of Shinsuke. ''Hm-hm!'' she smiles as she leans to the left so she can look at the others. ''Yep! We'll be back in Inazuma Town together with Tenma before you know it!'' says the manager and her smile widens.

Taiyou is looking at the scene playing out in front of him, surprised at the optimism his friends show. ''Aha,'' sighs the Arakumo captain as he closes his eyes and leans back. ''So this is it! The thing Raimon's been missing these past weeks!''

''What do you mean?'' asks a voice from the front, and Taiyou opens his eyes to see Shindou looking at him.

The orange-haired player smiles. ''Well, I've missed Raimon's usual optimism lately! It looks like your spirit is back!'' he says, and the Raimon players look at him in surprise.

''Our spirit…?'' repeats the game maker, and Taiyou nods. Shindou's surprised expression turns into a small smile. ''Hm, I guess you're right. Our spirit is back.''

* * *

''Damn it!'' curses Endou under his breath. ''We missed him again!''

Raimon is standing in front of the hospital, just having received the news of Tenma's successful escape. The players are all frustrated, not being able to believe they missed their captain when they were _so close_.

''Why?'' hisses Tsurugi. ''Why would he leave? Did he know we were coming?'' he clenches his fists until the skin turns white, and grits his teeth. ''Tenma…''

Hikaru is standing a few feet away, staring off in the distance. Then he turns around, facing his team. ''The nurse said he disappeared about half an hour ago. He can't have gone far, especially if he was hurt,'' says the forward. ''If we split up now, we might be able to find him.''

His coach looks up, nodding to himself. ''Hmm, yeah, that might work. The nurse said he was wearing a dark hoodie, and that Shuu and Hakuryuu are with him…'' he mutters. Then he raises his head, looking at his team. ''He's right. Listen up everyone. Join in pairs and search the city. We will meet back here in three hours!''

''Hai, coach!'' chorus the players. Five minutes later, everyone is paired up and on their way to search for their fellow soccer player.

Endou sighs, leaning back against the bus. _'I wish I could go with them, but someone needs to stay here…'_ he looks out at the city, sighing again. ''Good luck, everyone.''

* * *

Shuu ducks into an alleyway, gasping for breath. He leans back against the wall, hidden in the shadows, as the men who were previously chasing him run past the alley. Sighing in relief, the dark-haired boy closes his eyes as he wipes the sweat from his brow. ''That was close…''

After a few moments, when his heartbeat has finally calmed down, he straightens. After he made sure the men are really gone, Shuu leaves the alley, walking in the opposite direction of where the men just disappeared.

' _Tenma, Hakuryuu… where are you?'_ he wonders, sighing again. After they left the hospital, the three of them soon encountered the ones they were fleeing from: the Ishikawa twins, together with about seven men dresses in white uniforms with the familiar blue lotus logo. The moment the director recognized them, the men went after the three teens. Somewhere during the chase, Shuu lost his companions.

The dark-haired boy looks around, hoping to find a clue about where he is. Not recognizing his surroundings, he decides to go back to where they encountered the Ishikawa twins. Maybe the men have found his friends, or maybe he can eavesdrop on their conversation. Shuu is especially worried about Tenma. He shouldn't be up and moving yet, so running away from two fit, grown man is a hard task for him.

Ten minutes later, Shuu is back at one of the quieter areas of Tokyo. Hidden on the roof of an abandoned building, he looks down at the fancy-looking black car, and the two men next to it. The one on the right side of the car has his sky blue hair in a low ponytail, wearing black jeans, a white shirt and a sky blue jacket, and is obviously the youngest twin and coach of the soccer team, Ishikawa Jirou.

The other has his blue hair short and wears glasses. Wearing a light grey suit with a white dress shirt and a sky blue tie, he is the oldest of the two brothers and the director of Kanashimi Jr High, Ishikawa Kazuo.

Said man is currently on the phone. Shuu can only hear so much from the conversation, but he has a feeling that it's from the men that were chasing him.

''I want him found, right now!'' hisses Kazuo angrily, before snapping his phone shut. He turns to his younger brother with a sigh, massaging his temples. ''They lost the dark-haired boy,'' he tells the younger man.

Jirou frowns. ''Any news on the other two?'' he asks, but Kazuo shakes his head before Jirou is even finished.

''No. They're probably still looking for them…'' he grits his teeth in annoyance. ''And Raimon has arrived, too. Apparently, they're looking for Matsukaze.''

Jirou nods but doesn't react, and Shuu narrows his eyes. _'So Raimon's here, huh? At least Hakuryuu and Tenma aren't caught… I better start looking for them.'_

He leaves the twins behind him, going back to the more populated area of Tokyo. Scouting the area for a familiar face, Shuu sighs, thoughts going back to his two friends. Because of this, he almost misses the two teens until they pass him.

Shuu's eyes widen in surprise, and he spins around, placing a hand on the shoulder of the girl. The red-haired female turns around, ready to snap at the one who stopped her, but stops when she sees Shuu.

Her companion turns around too, and he stares at the dark-haired boy for a moment. Then, he grabs Shuu's wrist and drags him to an abandoned alley, followed by the girl.

''You!'' says Nishiki, letting go of Shuu's wrist. ''You were with Tenma, weren't you? Where is he?'' demands the midfielder.

Shuu sighs, shaking his head. ''I don't know.''

''What do you mean, you don't know?'' yells Midori annoyed, and Shuu turns to face the girl. ''You were with him, right? So you should know where he is!''

''Listen!'' Shuu raises his voice a bit, successfully shutting Nishiki and Midori up. ''I don't know where Tenma is, and I don't know where Hakuryuu is either!'' he calms down a bit. ''Please, let me explain.''

The two share a look, before slowly nodding.

Shuu gives a relieved sigh, before starting his story. ''We were in the hospital, when Hakuryuu eavesdropped on a nurse, who was calling Raimon. We were going to wait for you guys, when a friend of us contacted us and told us the Ishikawa twins were on their way.''

''What? The Ishikawa twins?'' asks Nishiki wide-eyed, and Shuu nods grimly. ''How did they know where you were?''

''They intercepted the call,'' answers Shuu. ''Anyway, they would arrive at about the same time that Raimon would arrive. We decided that the risk of staying at the hospital was too high, so we ran away, hoping to find you guys here somewhere. Before we could, though, we ran into the Ishikawa twins.''

This time Midori is the one to interrupt him. ''What happened?''

''There were some other men with them, they were working for the twins. The men chased us, and I lost Tenma and Hakuryuu. Only after having ran around for twenty minutes, could I shake them off… so I went back to the place where we encountered the twins, and I eavesdropped on them. That's how I learned Raimon was here, and I decided to look for you guys.''

The two Raimon members stare at grimly at him. ''Damn it,'' mutters Nishiki. Then, he reaches for his phone. ''Better let the others know what happened,'' he says when he sees Shuu's inquiring look. ''We thought you were running from us.''

Shuu nods in understanding, as Nishiki dials a number. Midori takes her phone out too, and dials another number.

''Shindou? It's me, Nishiki…''

* * *

When Endou's phone rings, the coach looks at the caller id in surprise. Shrugging, he picks up. ''Hello, Endou speaking.''

'' _Coach Endou, it's Nishiki,''_ says a familiar voice.

Endou nods, even though the teen can't see him. ''What's wrong? Did you find anything?''

'' _Actually, yes.''_ At Nishiki's answer, the coach perks up. _''We ran into Shuu. He told us that he, Tenma and Hakuryuu where going to wait in the hospital, when they found out that the Ishikawa twins were on their way to Tokyo.''_ Endou sucks in a breath at this news, as his eyes turn worried. _''They decided that the risk of staying at the hospital was too high, and ran away. Even so, they ran into the Ishikawa twins and they had to flee again. They were chased, and during the chase Shuu lost Hakuryuu and Tenma.''_

Endou narrows his eyes in concern. ''Thanks for telling me this, Nishiki. Have you told the others?''

'' _Yes.''_

The coach allows his lips to curl up a bit. ''Good. Keep searching for Tenma, but be careful.''

'' _Hai, coach.''_

* * *

Tenma is panting for air when he finally stops running. His chasers are nowhere to be seen, and the brunet breathes a sigh of relief.

Looking around, he notices that he is standing in a small park. He spots a bench, and sits down to regain his composure. When Tenma sits down, he relaxes against the back of the bench.

The moment he relaxes, a burning pain shoots through his left eye, and he gasps. Putting a hand on the bandage, he sighs again. ''Shuu, Hakuryuu… guys, where are you?'' he whispers softly.

After a few minutes just sitting there, the pain in his eye subsides, and the brunet stands up slowly. He makes sure that his hood is in place before starting to walk through the city again. He's in one of the calmer parts of the city, and allows himself to relax a bit. He only encounters a few people, and they ignore him.

After half an hour of walking, he sees two people standing at the end of a deserted street. Tenma freezes as he recognizes the two teens. The brunet smiles a genuine smile, happy to see his friends after everything that happened.

''Sangoku-senpai! Kurama-senpai!''

* * *

''Sangoku-senpai! Kurama-senpai!''

The two freeze at the familiar voice, before spinning around. There, at the end of the street, a boy is standing. His face is hidden by a dark hood, but there's no question about it. He's the one who called their names.

And the two third-years would recognize his voice anywhere.

''Tenma!'' yells Sangoku, running towards the other, with Kurama right on his heels. A few seconds later, they reach him.

From this distance, they can see his face. A small smile graces his lips, one grey eye looking up at them. ''Hey…'' greets the brunet quietly.

''Idiot! Where have you been?!'' demands Kurama angrily, though they all know he's not really angry, just worried. ''Have you any idea how worried we've been?!''

Tenma smiles sheepishly. ''Sorry, senpai…''

''Don't apologize,'' says Sangoku softly, and Tenma looks at him. ''We're just glad you're okay.'' His eyes soften as he looks at the younger boy. ''We were really worried, though. Never do that again!'' says the keeper.

Tenma's smile widens again. ''Hai, Sangoku-senpai…'' he falters a little, and Kurama and Sangoku look at him worriedly.

''Are you okay?'' asks Kurama this time, tone soft and concerned, something rare from the usual short-tempered boy.

''H-hai…'' whispers the brunet. A moment later, he stumbles again. Before his friends can react, he collapses on the ground.

'' _Tenma!''_

* * *

 **So, who saw that coming?**

 **The big reunion between Tenma and Raimon will be in the next chapter~! Look forward to it, everyone!**

 **\- Yara Meijer**


	20. Let's Go Home

**This chapter came earlier than expected. Why? Because I'm sick and I have way too much free time on my hands! Not that I'm complaining~!**

 **Onto the reviews:**

 _ **Coco Baldwin:**_ **Thank you, I'm doing my best with this story!**

 _ **seshhxkagii99:**_ **I'll reply in English, hope you don't mind. Thank you for the review and please enjoy this chapter~!**

 _ **Tsurugi Ann:**_ **I do? Really? Hahaha, I even surprise myself sometimes~! Thank you, I'm glad you liked it. Here's the reunion, by the way, though it turned out to be very different than I first had in mind, but not in a bad way. Hope you enjoy it~!**

 _ **Frwt:**_ **Well, here's the reunion. Though this story will end with a… well, not a good ending, though also not very bad. It will just be a very open ending, you know, like the story isn't finished yet (which it isn't).**

 _ **Yaa-chanHey:**_ **Hey there. Are you sure you're okay? 'Spinning around yourself and dance', I don't know if I should be worried or not ;)**

 _ **Animago:**_ **What did you mean with 'the best part'? Hahaha, here's the next chapter~! And yes, I love Tenma too. He is so awesome and (sometimes) cute!**

 _ **Sai Og Sus:**_ **Hello, welcome back to the story! Aliea Academy, huh? I'm not sure yet, I'm still working on their story… so you'll see~! Wait wait wait, can you see the future or something? How did you know Shuu was going to appear? And yes, Taiyou is awesome~!  
Wow, not sugarcoating your words, are you? Hahaha, but you're right. Kurama can be kind of harsh. Heartless Tenma? Why do you like him so much? …Is that from 'Avenger's, Assemble!'? Who knows, maybe I will~ probably not, though, hahaha. Anyway, (even though I'm not sure if you'll read this) I hope you'll enjoy the other chapters!**

 _ **nashimeasako:**_ **Wow, 'most interesting story you've ever read'?! Well, thank you! That makes me really happy! Anyway, here's the next update :)**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Here's the reunion, please enjoy~!**

 _ **R:**_ **Thank you, I try. I hope you enjoy this chapter~!**

 _ **StarBrightZorua:**_ **No, they won't be messing up the reunion. I think I've tortured Raimon enough for now, but they'll definitely make an appearance in the next chapter! 'Super Einstein people', well, that's a nice way to put it XD Yeah, the twins' past will come later. I'm still working on the details there~!**

 **This story has over a 100 reviews and over 3000 views! Thank you guys so much!**

 **Disclaimer: don't own Inazuma Eleven or the Lion King, only my OCs~!**

* * *

 _''Idiot! Where have you been?!'' demands Kurama angrily, though they all know he's not really angry, just worried. ''Have you any idea how worried we've been?!''_

 _Tenma smiles sheepishly. ''Sorry, senpai…''_

 _''Don't apologize,'' says Sangoku softly, and Tenma looks at him. ''We're just glad you're okay.'' His eyes soften as he looks at the younger boy. ''We were really worried, though. Never do that again!'' says the keeper._

 _Tenma's smile widens again. ''Hai, Sangoku-senpai…'' he falters a little, and Kurama and Sangoku look at him worriedly._

 _''Are you okay?'' asks Kurama this time, tone soft and concerned, something rare from the usual short-tempered boy._

 _''H-hai…'' whispers the brunet. A moment later, he stumbles again. Before his friends can react, he collapses on the ground._

'' _Tenma!''_

* * *

Hakuryuu sighs deeply and wipes the sweat of his brow after having ran through half of the city before finally losing his pursuers. The albino inspects his surroundings. He is in the business district of Tokyo, surrounded by skyscrapers. He spins in a circle, trying to find a familiar landmark… to no avail.

''Okay… and I think I'm lost…'' mutters the white-haired player to himself. With a sigh, he starts walking in a random direction. ''Great, just great. Get lost in a huge unfamiliar city. I am so smart,'' he says sarcastically to himself. ''Damn it. Shuu, I really hope you're with Matsukaze right now…''

He walks around for a few minutes, not recognizing anything or anyone. _'How far have I ran? I know I've been running for quite a while… damn it, where are you, Shuu, Matsukaze?'_

The albino is pulled out of his musings when he feels a hand on his shoulder. He whips around, fearing that his pursuers have found him, and is surprised to find someone else. ''T-Tsurugi?!'' he exclaims in shock.

It is indeed the dark-haired Raimon forward who is glaring at him, with the orange-haired Arakumo captain trailing behind him. ''Hakuryuu,'' greets Tsurugi coldly, and the albino frowns. _'What did I do wrong? Why is he so angry?'_

''Tsurugi…?'' he says, in a questioning tone.

The glare intensifies, and Hakuryuu fights the urge to flinch, instead focusing on Tsurugi's words. ''So, anything you want to tell me about God Eden?'' hisses the Raimon player.

' _God Eden? Why would he bring that u- oh…'_

Hakuryuu straightens his back, meeting Tsurugi's glare without even blinking. ''I was going to tell you, Tsurugi,'' he says clearly, and his rival raises an eyebrow as if to ask 'what changed'. The albino searches for words for a few moments, before continuing. ''When I found Matsukaze there, together with Shuu, I was ready to call you, but… they asked me to listen to their side of the story first.''

Tsurugi's orange eyes narrow slightly, but before he can say something, Arakumo's captain speaks up for the first time. ''And you did.'' It's not a question, but a statement.

Hakuryuu nods anyway. ''Yes.'' His eyes don't look away from Tsurugi, as he tries to show his conviction and determination through his gaze. ''You only told me what you thought happened, Tsurugi. You didn't even have all the details of what happened to Matsukaze. Having that thought in mind, I listened to them. I got the full story, and this… this… it's more than you can _ever_ imagine, Tsurugi.'' His voice drops to a whisper. ''This is not just about a lost match, or about rivalry between schools… when I heard Matsukaze's story, I just had to help him.''

Arakumo's captain seems a bit uncertain, eyes shooting from Hakuryuu to Tsurugi and back, but the albino doesn't even acknowledge him, only keeping his eyes on the dark-haired boy.

Said boy's face is completely blank, orange eyes boring into red ones. Outside, he seems calm, but a turmoil is raging inside Raimon's ace striker. _'Should I believe him? He seems truthful, and Nishiki-senpai did say that Shuu said they were planning to wait for us… but still. I trusted him, and he lied to me… but he also says that he wanted to help Tenma…'_

Finally, he sighs, and unconsciously, Hakuryuu stiffens. Tsurugi inspects him for a moment longer, before closing his eyes. ''I can't say I'm not angry,'' he finally says, opening his eyes and looking at the teen in front of him. Said teen meets his gaze without even blinking, and Tsurugi continues. ''This isn't just a fight about who the best soccer player is, this is something serious. Really serious. You lied to me about this while I trusted you, and I want to trust you now, but I just can't.''

Hakuryuu doesn't avert his eyes, but nods in understanding. He is about to open his mouth to say something, when Tsurugi beats him to it.

''Even so, you helped my teammate… no, my friend, when I couldn't.'' Hakuryuu's eyes widen slightly, not having expected this. Tsurugi's eyes are slightly narrowed and his orange gaze sharp, indicating how serious Raimon's forward is. ''You stood by him in my stead, and didn't abandon him like I did. You stood by him no matter what, even when you, Shuu and Tenma decided to wait for Raimon at the hospital, knowing full well that I would be angry. For that, you have my respect.'' Hakuryuu's eyes widen in shock, but Tsurugi ignores it. He seems to hesitate to say his next words, but continues anyway. ''I'm angry at you, but I think you handled the situation right… unlike we did.''

Tsurugi allows an incredibly small smile to appear on his face, and Hakuryuu answers it with his own cocky smirk. Even so, there's still something bothering him. ''How did you know we were going to wait for you?''

His rival's smile widens a bit. ''Nishiki-senpai found Shuu.'' The albino breathes a sigh of relief when he hears his friend's name. ''Shuu told him about the Ishikawa twins and that you decided it wasn't safe to stay in the hospital.''

''I see…'' mutters Hakuryuu. ''Any news on Matsukaze?''

The orange-haired Arakumo captain is the one who answers. ''No,'' he says in a concerned voice, worry evident on his face. ''We haven't heard anything about him.''

Hakuryuu pales, and Tsurugi frowns. ''Hakuryuu? What's wrong?''

The white-haired boy grits his teeth. ''Damn it, Matsukaze…'' he looks up, meeting the concerned gazes of his fellow soccer players, though Tsurugi tries to hide it. ''We escaped from the hospital, remember? Matsukaze isn't exactly… in top shape right now.''

The eyes of the other two widen in understanding, and Tsurugi curses under his breath. ''Come on, the sooner we start looking for him, the sooner we'll find him.''

* * *

Shindou and Kirino are walking through the calmer streets of Tokyo, away from the business district. Sakura trees are blooming along the sidewalk, and the sun is shining down gently on the two friends.

Even though it's a pleasant day, the two of them are silent in worry. Kirino shoots Shindou a look when he hears the other sigh, and the defender's eyebrows furry in concern. He lightly places a hand on the playmaker's arm, successfully earning his attention. Kirino offers him a small smile. ''We'll find him, don't worry.''

Shindou sends him a smile of his own, but his friend can see right through it. As Kirino keeps quiet, the wavy-haired boy sighs again. ''I know, Kirino, I really do. But-''

''-you can't help but be worried,'' finishes his friend for him, and Kirino's smile widens when the other looks at him in surprise. ''I'm worried too.''

The playmaker looks at him for a second, before a small, genuine smile appears on his face. ''Thanks, Kirino,'' he says.

Kirino's smile widens. ''As Tenma would say, 'everything will work out somehow', right?''

The midfielder looks taken aback for a moment, and then he starts to chuckle. '''Everything will work out somehow', huh?'' he smiles as he looks up at the sky. ''Let's hope it does.''

* * *

''Tenma!'' Sangoku is kneeling on the ground, lifting Tenma's upper body from the ground, looking worried at the pale face of the younger boy. His one visible eyes is closed, and his eyebrows are furrowed as if he is in pain.

The keeper looks up at Kurama. ''He's not reacting,'' informs the dark-haired boy. ''But his pulse is steady and as far as I can see, he's not bleeding or anything.''

Kurama frowns, biting his lip in thought as he inspects the unconscious boy in front of him. ''He's not supposed to be out of the hospital yet, is he?'' mutters the forward. ''Maybe he just collapsed from exhaustion…''

Sangoku turns his gaze back to the captain. ''I sure hope so…''

* * *

 _Tenma feels strangely light, like he's floating on water. When he strains his ears, he can hear a faraway sound, but it's too soft to hear what it is._

 _The brunet's eyes flutter open, focusing on his surroundings. What he sees is not what he expected. He is surrounded by black. Everywhere he looks, up, down, left, right. Small, beautiful, light green and soft orange lights are floating around in the dark space, emitting weak light. There are a lot of light green lights, and just a few orange ones._

 _Tenma looks around in wonder at his peaceful surroundings. He reaches out to one of the green lights, and the light falls apart in a shower of small, sparkling lights that gradually fade away. The brunet smiles when he sees the small pieces float away._

'' _It's so beautiful here…'' he whispers, and is shocked to hear the strange echo in his voice. The brunet frowns, but the calm feeling from a few moments prior soon returns. He inspects himself. Instead of the dark clothes he wore before, he is now wearing his yellow and blue soccer uniform._

 _The brunet floats forward, as there is no ground to walk on, following the strange sounds that echo through the space._

 _The further he floats, the more orange lights appear and the clearer the sound becomes, until it becomes a song instead of single notes. The song is indescribable, the unearthly tune beautiful and mesmerizing. It reminds Tenma of the gentle sunlight in spring, warming the earth with its calm and soft warmth, taking away all the worries and pain._

 _Suddenly, a strange echo sounds through the space, inaudible but still there, like a ripple in water._ _ **''...''**_

 _Tenma turns around, looking for the source. Another echo sounds through the soft melody, clearer than the one before._ _ **''…!''**_

'' _Hello?'' he calls hesitantly, waiting for a response._

''… _ **?''**_

 _The brunet turns around, from where the echo sounded strongest. ''Is… is someone there?'' he asks, hoping for an answer._

''… _ **! …?''**_

 _It's much clearer now, like a soft vibration, clear enough to be heard, but too soft to form words. Tenma frowns, floating in the direction of the echo, noticing how the orange lights are almost the same amount of the green ones now._

''… _ **e …o…?''**_

 _Tenma's eyes widen when he recognizes the sound – no, the voice. ''_ _Haru_ _?'' he asks, voice echoing and changed, almost as if something is trying to prevent him from saying Haru's name._

''… _ **e**_ _ **…**_ _ **a**_ _ **…! …**_ _ **en**_ _ **…**_ _ **a**_ _ **!''**_ _responds Haru's voice._

'' _H_ _a ru_ _!''_

'' _ **T**_ _ **e**_ _ **n**_ _ **m**_ _ **a**_ _ **! T**_ _ **e n**_ _ **m**_ _ **a!''**_

 _The brunet reaches out to the echoing voice of his friend, stretching his hand out to the source of the sound. ''_ _H_ _a_ _ru_ _!'' the lights aren't calmly floating around anymore, instead moving wildly around the black space, like they are reacting to the sounds. Every time a voice sounds, the lights start to glow brighter before dimming again. ''H_ _ar_ _u!'' the lights are glowing even brighter than before, as if they are almost bursting with energy._

'' _ **T**_ _ **e**_ _ **n m**_ _ **a!''**_

 _The lights in front of the brunet are emitting so much light that it's blinding him. Even so, Tenma is still reaching out to the lights, to the wall of light in front of him, wanting to reach what lies behind._ ''Haru!''

 _The moment he reaches the light, his voice is clear. As his hand reaches through the wall of light, he can only just see another hand coming to meet his._

 _The moment their hands touch, the light surrounds the entire space, turning the black into white. Tenma closes his eyes against the blinding light, holding onto Haru's hand like it's his lifeline. The song that was echoing softly through the space swells on in volume, until the sound is louder than Tenma can hear, ever has heard, but still not painful._

 _Fire and ice water burns through his veins, images flashing for his eyes, voices and sounds ringing through his ears, feelings, scents, flavors, thoughts, everything. The storm of information crashes down on him, nothing able to stop it._

 _And just when it becomes too much, it stops._

 _Tenma is frozen for a moment, getting the feeling in his body back. Then finally, his eyes flutter open, meeting a familiar orange gazes of dazed eyes._

 _Haru blinks with his eyes, and breaks the silence in the, once again, peaceful realm. ''Wow.''_

 _Tenma smiles at his friend's dry remark. The redhead is wearing his white and black Kanashimi jersey, with the small, sky blue lotus logo. He has a bandage around his left eye._

 _Then Tenma looks around, inspecting his surroundings. The black space has becoming a perfect white, with the light green and soft orange lights floating around. This time, though, the two colors are equally present. The soft song has changed. Instead of the chaotic sounds it was earlier, it is back to its calm state, though the tune is different. It reminds the brunet of the gentle spring sun shining down on the earth, the soft breeze blowing through the air, caressing the world surrounding it._

 _He looks back to his friend. Their hands are still holding on to each other, and at the same time, they let go. Immediately, they look up, meeting each other's eyes. ''What?'' their voices are in perfect sync._

 _The two of them just stare at each other for a moment, before laughing. When they stop with laughing, Tenma looks around again. ''Where are we? What just happened?''_

 _Haru frowns, inspecting their surroundings too. ''I… I think…'' he starts, and Tenma's curious grey orb looks at him again. ''I think the experiment just completed.''_

 _The brunet's eye widens in shock. ''W-what? The experiment?''_

'' _Yes.'' The redhead nods. ''Think about when I tried to contact you about the Ishikawa twins, and all the times before. We could talk to each other, but it was hard. It took me twenty minutes to contact you, and it takes away all our attention! But now… it feels like something is complete. Like something is finally whole…'' the Kanashimi player trails off._

 _Raimon's captain nods in understanding. ''Yeah, you're right. So… do you think we're in our minds?''_

'' _Probably,'' agrees Haru immediately. ''To me, I was surrounded by orange and green lights, though there were more orange lights than green. I also heard a strange song, and then your voice… but it was like it was filtered, like I heard it underwater or something.''_

'' _That happened to me, too, though there were more green lights.''_

 _Haru turns around to inspect the peaceful space as he continues. ''Green represents you, orange represents me. The opposite color is the other's presence in our minds. It was there at first, but not much. Right now, though, it's equal. The song I heard has changed too… like it has become a mix of two songs… maybe the sound of our brainwaves?''_

'' _Brainwaves have sounds?'' asks Tenma incredulously._

 _The redhead shakes his head, turning to face his friend again. He floats past Tenma, reaching out to one of the orange lights. When his fingers touch the surface of the light, it falls apart in a shower of sparkling lights that float away. A few feet further away, they come together again and form two lights, green and orange. ''No, not really. But the coach and the director usually work with brainwaves. Our brainwaves matched, that's why we were chosen for the experiment,'' he says, floating to one of the green lights. When he touches it, it splits into two different lights: one light green, one soft orange. ''They linked our brainwaves. The entire experiment is based on it, matching our brainwaves to be able to send messages to each other. Everyone has their own, unique brainwaves, kind of like a song. Our 'songs' simply mixed to form one piece, indicating that our brainwaves are now exactly the same,'' explains Haru._

 _Tenma frowns but still nods in understanding. ''Do you think that's what they meant with synchronization?'' he asks his friend, as the brunet floats through the white space. The lights float around him, as if they are reacting to his presence._

 _Haru nods, turning away from the lights to face Tenma. ''Probably. It just happened, didn't it? We made the exact same movements and spoke the exact same words at the same time. We're in complete sync. And this,'' he gestures to their surroundings, ''is the point where our minds come together. The further we go, the further apart our minds become. So we don't have the same mind, then we'd be one person, but our minds complete each other. This is simply the point where the limitation should be, but where we connect instead.''_

'' _Complete…'' mutters Tenma, floating back to the redhead. ''We share memories, don't we?''_

'' _Yep,'' Haru grins. ''And other things, too. Feelings, thoughts, likes, dislikes, everything. You're probably going to get a candy obsession now!''_

 _Tenma bursts out laughing at his friend's statement. ''And you're going to take a liking to dogs!''_

'' _Yes,'' agrees Haru, ''and I'll probably start talking like soccer has feelings.''_

'' _Hey!'' protests Tenma immediately._

 _The redhead chuckles, waving the brunet's complaints away with one hand. ''Hai, hai.'' He turns serious. ''I think we should wake up now, though. Your friends will be really worried.''_

 _The brunet nods in agreement, floating upwards to the surface of their connected minds. Before he goes too far, though, he stops and looks down at his friend. ''Haru?''_

'' _Hm?''_

 _Tenma frowns. ''We both hurt our left eye, right? Do you think it has to do something with the experiment?''_

 _The redhead frowns, not having thought about that before, and nods in agreement. ''Yes, probably… though we can't see the damage done until it's safe to take the bandages of.'' He smiles at the brunet. ''Anyway, don't worry about it now. You have to get going!''_

 _Tenma smiles brightly at him. ''See you soon!''_

'' _Yep!'' Haru grins back at him. ''See ya!''_

 _And with that, Tenma closes his eyes and reaches out to the outside world._

* * *

When Tenma opens his uncovered eye, he is met with the worried face of Sangoku, and somewhere on his right he can see the light hair that belongs to Kurama. ''San…goku…senpai?'' he croaks out, and the elder smiles relieved.

''Tenma! Are you okay?'' asks the third-year.

''Tch,'' comes Kurama's voice. ''He just collapsed. Of course he's not.'' The words sound cold, but when Tenma looks at him, the forward has a relieved smile on his face. ''You gave us quite a scare there.''

Tenma frowns in confusion, sitting up slowly with Sangoku's help. ''I-I blacked out?''

''Only for a few minutes though,'' says Sangoku, and smiles at the brunet.

Said brunet looks surprised for a moment. _'A few minutes? It felt like a few hours to me.'_

'' _Time goes differently inside our minds. Ever heard of daydreaming?''_ comes a familiar voice from inside his head.

' _H-Haru?!'_

The voice chuckles. _''Yep! Our bond is so easy now, and much clearer!''_ he's right. Instead of having to focus to hear the redhead's voice, it's like Haru is standing right next to him. Tenma can simply concentrate on his surroundings while the other is talking in his mind, without being distracted by the strain the bond put on his mind before.

Tenma smiles softly at Haru's presence, before focusing on his teammates again. ''I did? I guess I'm not in top shape yet… though I feel fine now.''

''That's good to hear, but take it easy,'' warns Sangoku, and Tenma nods while grinning up at him. ''Can you stand?''

''Yeah,'' answers Tenma, standing up with the help of the keeper.

Kurama smiles at him, foregoing his usual cold demander for a nicer one. ''Just be careful, okay? Everyone is worried about you.''

The brunet perks up when he hears that. ''Do you know what happened to Hakuryuu and Shuu?'' he asks with a worried voice.

Sangoku nods in answer. ''Yes. Nishiki and Midori found Shuu. He told us about the Ishikawa twins, that they were in town. While you were unconscious we got a message from Tsurugi, saying he found Hakuryuu.''

Tenma sighs in relief. ''Thank goodness they're alright…''

''Talking about the others,'' starts Kurama, pointing to a nearby clock, ''if we want to meet up with them on time, we should get going now.''

Tenma freezes, nervous at the thought of confronting his friends after everything that happened. _''Relax,''_ says Haru softly. _''It will be fine.''_

Sangoku, having noticed the sudden halt of his captain, frowns. ''Do you think you're up to it, Tenma?''

For a moment, the brunet doesn't answer. His face is hidden in the shadows of his hood, but then he looks up with his usual smile on his face. ''Of course! Everything will work out somehow!'' it's the first time he said those words since the Kanashimi match. Before, he was scared to say them, scared of the idea that the words would be a lie. But now, with the help of everyone from Kanashimi, Hakuryuu and Shuu, his own team, and Haru… now he truly believes that everything will work out alright in the end.

Kurama shakes his head but can't fight the amused smile that plays on his lips. ''Haven't heard you say that in a while.''

''Haven't had the chance to say it in a while,'' shoots Tenma back without thinking.

'' _Hahaha! I can influence you!''_

Tenma blushes red when he realizes that the older two are looking at him in surprise and that it was mainly Haru's fault. _'H-Haru! Stop that!'_

Tenma knows Haru is pouting. He just knows it. _''But it's fun!''_

' _It's my body!'_ protests Tenma, as he gives his friends a smile. The other two relax and smile back, before going on their way.

'' _It's fun to mess with your teammates,''_ states Haru.

Tenma mentally glares disapprovingly at him. _'That doesn't mean it's right.'_

'' _Don't worry about it. After all, everything will work out somehow, won't it?''_ teases the redhead.

Tenma sighs mentally. _'Stop stealing my motto. Get your own motto.'_

For a moment, Haru is silent, and Tenma thinks the conversation is over when the redhead speaks up again. _''Hakuna Matata.''_

Tenma sweat-drops at Haru's words. _'Still, that's not your own motto. It's from a movie.'_

'' _An awesome movie. Though I had to cry when Mufasa died,''_ answers Haru immediately, an image of Mufasa drifting from their bond into Tenma's mind. _''Well then, if you don't like it, what about 'candy is awesome' or something?''_

'… _You're even worse than Kariya.'_

While Haru protests, Tenma's attention is brought back to the outside world by Kurama's voice. ''Oi, Tenma, what're you thinking about?''

Tenma looks up, meeting Kurama's dark eyes. He grins as he answers honestly, ''Hakuna Matata.'' The other two just stare at him for a moment, and Tenma chuckles. ''And candy.''

The third-years decide it's better not to react, as the three of them walk further. After twenty minutes of walking, with Tenma making a stop to buy candy – craving the sweets from the moment he woke up – they finally arrive at the hospital.

Tenma throws the empty candy bag in a trashcan, and the three of them walk to the back of the hospital. The parking area is almost entirely abandoned here, the only exception being the Raimon bus.

The midfielder stiffens when he sees the bus – or rather, the people surrounding the bus. ''Looks like we're the last ones to arrive,'' remarks Sangoku, and Kurama nods in agreement. The keeper looks at the brunet, smiling encouragingly. ''You ready for this?''

''H-Hai…'' mutters Tenma softly, smiling when Haru encourages him from the other side of their bond. ''Let's go.''

The three of them walk out in the open. Tenma immediately notices four people standing out from the Raimon members. Coach Endou, who is wearing his usual clothes, Shuu, also wearing his usual clothes, Hakuryuu in a white hoodie, and a person with bright orange hair in Arakumo's jersey. _'Taiyou? What is he doing here?'_

'' _He probably wants to apologize,''_ says Haru quietly, and Tenma feels the guilty feeling coming from him.

' _It's okay, you didn't have a choice,'_ answers Tenma in a soft voice, and Haru doesn't react, though his grateful feeling is more than enough.

As the people by the bus notice them, they all quiet down when they see the third person whose face is hidden in the shadows of a dark hoodie.

Tenma swallows, pushing his nervousness to the side, as he reaches his friends. Shooting Shuu and Hakuryuu a relieved smile, Tenma takes a deep breath and puts his hood down.

He immediately sees how his friends stiffen when they see the bandage around his left eye. The brunet acts like he doesn't notice, instead giving them a small smile. ''Hello, everyone,'' he says quietly.

One person walks forward, eyes shadowed by his bangs. Shindou doesn't say a word, as he walks, stopping in front of the brunet. ''Shindou-san…?'' asks Tenma hesitantly, not understanding the situation. The game maker doesn't answer.

Tenma's one eye widens when he feels the feeling of arms tightly wrap around him. Shocked, he realizes that Shindou is _hugging_ him. The game maker embraces the captain tightly, arms locked around the other's shoulders. ''I…'' he whispers, and his voice breaks. ''I'm so sorry, Tenma…''

The brunet freezes for a moment, but the other doesn't let go. _''Tenma…''_ Haru's voice sounds soft and comforting. _''You have been through so much these past few weeks. It's okay to cry…''_

Tenma's body starts to tremble. His fingers twitch as he tries to control the rhythm of his breath. Slowly his arms close around Shindou's middle.

A tear falls down his cheek, and he hides his face in Shindou's shirt. ''I-I don't want to be alone,'' his voice shakes as he whispers that, and the other pulls him a bit closer.

''I know,'' whispers the older boy, as his own tears start to fall down his face. ''I know.''

Tenma takes in a shuddering breath and clutches the back of Shindou's shirt. ''I'm scared…'' his voice is even softer than before, as a shiver runs down his spine.

The older boy tightens his grip, providing the warmth the younger is so desperately searching for. His breath catches as more tears flow from his closed eyes. ''You don't have to be.'' His voice breaks. ''Not anymore. We won't let anything happen to you, Tenma…''

''Y-you won't?'' an almost childish curiosity colors his voice, as Tenma lifts his head to meet Shindou's brown eyes. Tenma's one visible eye widens when he sees the pure emotion in those dark orbs. ''You p-promise?''

The older boy's voice is not louder than a falling leaf when he answers, but the emotion is so clear that it is impossible to miss. ''Yes. I, _we_ , promise.'' His eyes soften ever so slightly, not breaking eye contact with the brunet. ''I don't know what happened to you, or what your reasons for leaving are, but we won't let you do this alone anymore. That's not how Raimon does things.'' He gives Tenma a smile that says more than a thousand words, as he pulls the other into another hug. ''I'm sorry for everything.''

Tenma's eye widens slightly, and then he relaxes in the embrace. ''Thank you.''

The peaceful moment is broken by Shinsuke's happy voice. ''Group hug!'' a pair of arms suddenly latch onto Tenma's neck, and the brunet yelps.

''Yeah!'' agrees the older keeper, and a moment later the other members of the Raimon soccer club join the hug, the reluctant ones being pulled into it by the others.

Tenma laughs at his chaotic friends. On his left is a red-faced Tsurugi, and the brunet smiles at him. Even though the forward looks very uncomfortable in the pile of bodies, he answers Tenma's smile with his own, a genuine, soft smile. ''Welcome back,'' he whispers to the brunet, eyes softening ever so slightly.

The brunet's smile softens a little as he looks at his friend. ''It's good to be back.''

The group hug is broken by Kurama's angry shout. ''Let me go!'' the others reluctantly agree with his demand, stepping back and giving Tenma and Shindou room to breathe again.

Shindou smiles down at his junior before letting him go, and pushing him slightly in the direction of one of the bystanders. Tenma notices him and his breath catches in surprise, as he walks to the other boy.

Taiyou is stiffens when he sees the brunet look at him. Then he releases his breath and forces his body to react, as he takes a step forward. ''Tenma, I…'' He is ready to apologize when the brunet suddenly steps forward and locks his arms around the other boy.

The other's eyes widen in shock, and he freezes for a moment. Then his own arms circle around the brunet, pulling him closer. ''I'm sorry,'' he whispers, ''I'm so, so sorry.''

Tenma smiles from where he is hiding his face in Taiyou's shirt. ''It's okay,'' he answers softly, and the other's grip tightens slightly. ''I forgive you.''

Taiyou's eyes fill with tears and a sob escapes from his throat. ''T-thank you,'' he says, and closes his eyes as he can finally relax for real. ''Thank you.''

The brunet doesn't react, and he doesn't have to. They've said enough, anything else is unnecessary. Instead, he leans into the hug, accepting the warmth that surrounds him.

After a moment, they let go, and look at each other for a moment. Both of them are looking more relaxed, like a weight has been lifted from their shoulders. And in a way, it has. Tenma smiles brightly at Taiyou and breaks eye contact, turning to face the others.

Raimon looks peaceful, as they have finally mended their bonds. When the brunet sees Hakuryuu and Shuu, the ones who have helped him when no one else did, and he shows them a genuine, grateful smile. Words are not needed, as the three of them exactly understand what the others mean. Instead, the other two just smile back.

Endou walks forward, a small smile playing on his lips. ''It's good to finally have you back,'' he says to Tenma. ''You have no idea how worried we were.''

''You don't have to worry,'' says Tenma with a bright smile on his face. ''After all, everything will work out somehow!''

The coach chuckles, and nods. ''If you say so,'' he mutters good-naturally, and then smiles widely at everyone present.

''Let's go home.''

* * *

 **You guys have no idea how hard it was to write the reunion.**

 **First, I had a nice, detailed scene where various characters held long speeches about that they were wrong and that they were sorry and all… and I wasn't satisfied at all. It just seemed… fake.**

 **So I searched for inspiration on the internet, and everything I read about emotional moments said the same thing: 'Less is more. Don't try to make the readers feel what the characters feel, give them the chance to read the story at their own pace.'**

 **Only with a lot more words XD Anyway, I went with the whole 'less is more' thing, and I found that it worked out alright for me. I hope you guys like it, too~!**

 **And now I'll go back to being sick T-T**

 **Bye bye~!**

 **Yara out.**


	21. Return

**Um… hey?**

 **I am so sorry for not updating earlier! Do I have an excuse? Yes, yes I do. The first two weeks after the last chapter I was very busy and didn't have time to write. When I did have time… well, two words: writer's block.**

 **Well, onto the many reviews! Thank you guys so much!**

 _ **Coco Baldwin:**_ **Actually I'm very open about my emotions, it was just** _ **so hard**_ **to write that. I rewrote the reunion FOUR times, and spent about four hours on it…**

 _ **Aquila Aqua:**_ **Yeah, the experiment… not sure about that myself. I just 'go with the flow'~!**

 _ **Animago:**_ **Thank you, I'm glad you liked the reunion. I really worked hard on it…**

 _ **seshhxkagii99:**_ **Well, I'm glad you like it. I just write whatever I come up with and hope it ends up good… here is your Okinawa moment!**

 _ **Guest:**_ **I think Tenma will tell in the next chapter. Please look forward to it!**

 _ **StarBrightZorua:**_ **You are evil XD Well, the experiment is completed but the limits are still unknown. They can control each other though, but that will come later. And don't forget, the super Einstein twins have other experiments too~! Maybe they do have something like mind control and will use it on Tenma and Haru later?**

 _ **Frwt:**_ **Sorry for the late update…**

 _ **Nishime Asako:**_ **Hahaha, I'm glad you liked it. In my eyes, I'm not very good at writing funny stories… not enough experience, so it makes me happy to see you enjoyed it!**

 _ **Hey:**_ **Glad you liked it! It took me** _ **four**_ **times to get the reunion right~!**

 _ **Tsurugi Ann:**_ **Sure, you can call me Yara. It's my name here, after all! Well, I was sick. I was bored and I had too much inspiration. Haha, nope, the sequel will come in a few more chapters…**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Um… you're welcome? Hahaha, I'm happy you enjoyed the last chapter~!**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Here it is~!**

 _ **Sai Og Sus:**_ **Glad you enjoyed it!**

 _ **Eme Hire:**_ **Here is the next chapter! Glad you enjoy this story~!**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Sequel won't come just yet, there will be a few more chapters for Stand!**

 _ **IeGbestfriend:**_ **A 50-50, huh? Well, Stand will get a… not-happy ending. Maybe not sad, but definitely not a good one. But I think I understand what you mean with the whole win-lose-lose-win thing, that's what I had in mind for the ending. The name of the sequel… I'm still thinking about it. 'Through' is on my list, but 'Run' is also an option… You're writing a fanfic? Are you also publishing it? If so, I'd be interested in reading it. Yeah, Lyra Mae Rose's story is nice as well. Your first review ever? Wow, I'm honored to receive it then! Hahaha, no I don't mind such a long review, actually it inspires me to write more, knowing people take so much time to react on my story. A scene between Tsurugi and Yuuichi… wait you just gave me inspiration for the sequel! Thanks, I think that brotherly moment will definitely be there! Yeah, Natsumi and Endou need more time together, same goes for the old Raimon Trio. No, no, you didn't overdo the review at all ;) I'll respond to your second review too, okay? Nope, not the end just yet. Quite a few more chapters for Stand. Still thinking about the name, not sure when it'll be released. The fourth time? O.O Wow I'm honored you like it so much! And it made you cry? I'm glad you think it's so well-written!**

 _ **kidd:**_ **Now~**

 _ **Crazy-chan707:**_ **Well, Tenma is definitely going to tell his friends about the experimenting, just not in this chapter yet. Probably the next one.**

 _ **mikan26:**_ **Here is the next chapter, hope you like it~!**

 _ **Guest:**_ **Right now!**

 **Thank you for all the reviews, and again, sorry for not updating sooner!**

 **Disclaimer: don't own, bla bla bla, we all know how it works, etc. etc.**

 **Well, here it is! Enjoy!**

* * *

 _After a moment, they let go, and look at each other for a moment. Both of them are looking more relaxed, like a weight has been lifted from their shoulders. And in a way, it has. Tenma smiles brightly at Taiyou and breaks eye contact, turning to face the others._

 _Raimon looks peaceful, as they have finally mended their bonds. When the brunet sees Hakuryuu and Shuu, the ones who have helped him when no one else did, and he shows them a genuine, grateful smile. Words are not needed, as the three of them exactly understand what the others mean. Instead, the other two just smile back._

 _Endou walks forward, a small smile playing on his lips. ''It's good to finally have you back,'' he says to Tenma. ''You have no idea how worried we were.''_

 _''You don't have to worry,'' says Tenma with a bright smile on his face. ''After all, everything will work out somehow!''_

 _The coach chuckles, and nods. ''If you say so,'' he mutters good-naturally, and then smiles widely at everyone present._

 _''Let's go home.''_

* * *

Shuu and Hakuryuu walk towards Tenma after Endou announced that they would be leaving in a few minutes. ''Matsukaze, are you okay?'' asks Hakuryuu softly when the two reach Tenma.

Tenma sighs and gets a faraway look in his one visible eye. Shuu places a hand on his shoulder and gazes at the brunet worriedly. ''Tenma, what's wrong?''

''The-'' Tenma cuts himself off, lowering his voice. ''The experiment is complete.'' The eyes of his two friends widen in shock. ''The reason why I had to go to the hospital was because the experiment was reaching the last phase, at least, that's what Haru just told me.''

''What changed?'' asks Shuu in an equally soft voice, glancing around to make sure no one is in hearing range. ''What happened to you two?''

''I'm not sure yet,'' admits Tenma. ''We haven't had the time to find out more about our bond yet. Though we have a constant telepathic link now. If I want, I can hear Haru's thoughts, but I can also send him a message. It's like our minds are bonded the entire time, but only when we want it the other really hears us. Otherwise it's just a soft humming in the back of my head,'' explains the brunet. ''Furthermore, we can influence each other's actions, consciously and unconsciously, though I don't know how much… maybe we can take total control of the other's body, but I'm not sure. I can also look through Haru's eyes, and I can feel his emotions.''

Hakuryuu whistles softly. ''Wow, that's not nothing. And I'm sure it's not everything yet, right?''

Tenma nods. ''Hai. We just haven't had the chance to find our limits yet…'' then he smiles. ''And I really want to eat candy now. Haru's influencing me unconsciously…''

Shuu sweat-drops. ''Ah… yeah, you said something about Haru-san having a sweet tooth…''

''What are you guys talking about?'' interrupts a voice suddenly, and the three look up to see Kurumada looking at them.

The brunet resists the urge to look at Shuu and Hakuryuu, knowing that that would only raise suspicion. Instead, he goes for a half-truth. ''I want candy,'' he says simply.

This earns the attention of his friends, as everyone looks at him in surprise. Usually, the Raimon midfielder doesn't care much about candy. ''What's with you and candy today?'' asks Kurama in a faked annoyed tone. ''You were talking about it earlier and you even bought a bag filled with the stuff too.''

The people who don't know about Haru's and Tenma's link look at the brunet again. Said brunet just shrugs. ''I think I'm developing a sweet tooth,'' he answers honestly, not mentioning anything about Haru. Even though his friends know about him, he doesn't know how they will react if the brunet talks about his redheaded friend.

''A sweet tooth,'' repeats Tsurugi. ''Why?''

Tenma mentally frowns. _'You are far too sharp, Tsurugi. I really don't want to mention Haru…'_

'' _What, you think my charming personality will be too much for them?''_

Tenma pointedly ignores the voice in his head, and instead focuses on the forward. ''I don't care why! I just want candy!'' he whines, earning sweat-drops from the others.

Hamano raises his hands, resting them behind his head. ''You're not gonna stop whining until you get candy, are you?'' Tenma just grins brightly at him in answer, and the second-year sighs. ''Fine, I think I saw a candy shop not too far away.'' The boy looks at his teammates for a moment. ''Be back in a minute!''

Tenma follows Hamano through the streets of Tokyo. The older boy grins at him, eyes softening ever so slightly. ''Good to have you back.''

The brunet looks at him in slight surprise. It's not like he has a bad relation with Hamano, but they don't really talk a lot either, at least not as much as with other people.

The older midfielder smiles when he sees the confused look in Tenma's one eye. ''Hey, I don't want you running off again,'' he chuckles, ''and I want some candy too.''

Tenma laughs softly, before turning serious. ''Hamano-senpai… I'm sorry for making you all worry and causing trouble.''

The other waves lazily with one hand. ''Don't worry about it too much. After all, this is Raimon we're talking about. We're always causing trouble one way or another!'' he grins, and his gaze falls on a small shop. ''There it is!''

That gets Tenma's attention, and when they enter the shop he looks around in wonder. Hamano chuckles awkwardly, swearing he can see sparkles in Tenma's eye. The brunet ignores him in favor of picking out different candies, getting advice from Haru.

'' _Oh, that one's nice! And that one!''_ as Haru tells Tenma carefully which lollipops he should avoid because they 'taste worse than crap', the other Raimon player looks around for some candy himself, while keeping an eye on his young captain.

After a few minutes of picking out candy, the two of them pay for it and leave the shop, Tenma almost looking like he's glowing as he happily eats his candies.

That's when he bumps into someone, and the brunet falls on the ground (making sure his candy stays unharmed). Tenma looks up, seeing five boys of his own age.

The first boy chuckles apologetically. ''Oh, sorry! Didn't notice you there!'' he has dark hair and eyes, and has a soccer ball in his hands.

Tenma shakes his head. ''No, I'm sorry, I didn't look where I was walking,'' he says, standing up. Then a sudden gust of wind blows his hood off, and the brunet freezes.

The eyes of the boys in front of him widen in shock, and time seems to slow for a second. Then the first boy finds his voice again. ''N-no way…'' He mutters. ''You- you're Matsukaze Tenma!''

Of course, he shouted it.

And of course, everyone in a ten meter radius heard it. The people surrounding the boys look around in surprise when they hear the familiar name – after all, who _doesn't_ know the name of Inazuma Japan's captain? The captain that is supposed to be _missing_ right now.

A few people take out there phones when they recognize the brunet, ready to call the police or take pictures. Tenma's one visible eye widens as he slowly backs away, feeling very much like a deer in the spotlights. _''Did he say Matsukaze?''_ the people begin to whisper. _''That missing soccer player! What is he doing here?''_

Hamano moves protectively in front of his captain, going so far as to glare at the other people in the street. ''Hey, cut it out!'' he says, but the people don't listen. ''Tch,'' the second-year turns around to face the brunet behind him. ''Put up your hood,'' he mutters lowly.

Tenma stares at him in confusion, but does what his senpai instructed anyway. He pulls up his hood, and before he has a chance to react, Hamano grabs his wrist and starts to run.

''Hey! Wait!'' calls the boy who Tenma walked into, but the two ignore him.

They break through the people surrounding them, and run through Tokyo's streets back to the hospital. A moment later, the bus comes in view, with their friends surrounding it.

''Hamano! Tenma!'' calls Shindou worriedly when he notices the two. ''What's wrong?''

They stop when they reach the bus, and Tenma tries to catch his breath while Hamano explains their situation. ''We walked into some guys, soccer players, and Tenma's hood blew off. The soccer players attracted the attention of everyone within ten meters, so we had to make a run for it.''

'' _Ahaha… you really get into trouble no matter what, huh…''_ Haru mentally sweat-drops.

Tenma blushes. _'I-it's not my fault..!'_

'' _Hai, hai.''_

Tenma is brought back by Shindou's next words. ''We're ready to go. Let's get in the bus.''

The Raimon players enter the bus. Tenma looks around, before spotting a free seat next to Tsurugi. The brunet smiles at his friend as he sits down, and Tsurugi allows a small smile to appear on his face.

Soon after, all the teens and the coach are in the Raimon bus, and a minute later the bus leaves in the direction of Inazuma Town. Shuu and Hakuryuu decided to come to, instead of going back to God Eden.

''Tsurugi! Why can you sit next to Tenma?'' asks a pouting Shinsuke.

The forward shrugs, and answers in an emotionless voice. ''Because I was sitting here first and Tenma decided to sit next to me,'' he says.

Shinsuke's pout grows, and Taiyou – who is sitting next to Shinsuke – grins mischievously. ''No fair! I wanted to sit next to Tenma, too!''

Said brunet chuckles and sweat-drops. ''Uh… guys…''

''You stay out of this,'' says Taiyou immediately, fake-glaring at the brunet. Shinsuke nods, and Tsurugi just sighs, as the fighting goes on.

'' _Wow. You've got fans.''_

Tenma blinks in surprise. _'Haru!'_ then he leans back in his chair. _'What are you doing?'_

'' _What?''_ asks Haru with faked hurt. _''You don't want to talk to me anymore?''_

The brunet sweat-drops again. _'I already have to deal with Taiyou and my entire team, and now you are starting too?'_

Haru snickers. _''Well, considering how many people want your attention, I'm just a small extra, right?''_

' _You are in my head. I can't exactly ignore you, no matter how much I want to,'_ points Tenma out.

The redhead laughs again, before turning serious. _''But what do we do now? You're back with Raimon, and they'll want to know what is going on… are we going to tell them about our bond?''_

The brunet frowns, as he scans his teammates. They all look happy and relaxed. He sighs. _'They have a right to know… but…'_

'' _It would be really weird,''_ agrees Haru, who has felt the meaning behind Tenma's words. _''At least my teammates know about the experimenting, they're all part of it, so they won't think much of it…''_

' _Hai…'_

''Tenma?'' the brunet looks up when he hears his name. Shuu is looking at him from the seat in front of his, and raises an eyebrow when he notices that he has his attention. Tenma ticks on the side of his head, and the dark-haired boy nods in realization. ''What will happen now?'' he asks quietly, so that only Hakuryuu, who is sitting next to him, and Tsurugi, who is still fighting with Taiyou and Shinsuke, can hear him.

Tenma bites his lip. ''We're still thinking about it,'' he admits, and Shuu nods in understanding when he hears the 'we'.

On the outside, their conversation sounds vague, while Tenma, Shuu, Hakuryuu and Haru all understand the meaning of the words.

'' _Hmm… they were the ones who helped you, weren't they?''_ asks Haru thoughtfully. At the feeling of confirmation Tenma sends him, he relaxes a bit. _''Could you please thank them for me?''_

Tenma smiles, and looks back to Hakuryuu and Shuu. ''He wants to thank you for helping me.''

Shuu's eyes light up in understanding, and he smiles back at Tenma. ''Tell him he's welcome.''

' _You heard that?'_ asks the brunet.

'' _Yep! He seems like a nice guy!''_ answers Haru cheerfully. Tenma doesn't answer, his cheerful mood fading away, replaced by feelings of uncertainty and wondering. _''Tenma?''_ asks Haru in a slightly worried tone when he feels the brunet's emotions through their bond. _''What's wrong?''_

' _Well… remember that call after you went back to Kanashimi Jr High?'_ asks Tenma quietly. He can feel the redhead's confusion, and Tenma sends him his memories of the phone call. _'You eavesdropped on the Ishikawa twins…'_

It feels like a light is turned on in Haru's mind. _''Yes. What about it?''_

' _Well…'_ Tenma hesitates, before continuing. _'You told me what you heard, about what would happen to us. So I was wondering… how far goes our bond now? What can we do together?'_

It's Haru's turn to be serious, as he ponders over his friend's words. _''Yeah… if I remember correctly, they said we'd have an emotional link, which we do… I can feel your emotions, and you can feel mine. We have access to each other's memories, and we can enter the other's mind, though we don't know how deep we can go.''_

' _I'm not sure if I even want to try that.'_ Tenma suppresses a shudder. _'I trust you, but I just feel so vulnerable when you do that.'_

'' _Agreed,''_ says Haru immediately. _''Way too close for comfort. Maybe we can practice it slowly… but that's something for later. We would also get a lasting, constant telepathic link, which we do. Then the last part.''_

' _Synchronization.'_ Tenma frowns in thought, trying to figure out what that means. He notices absentmindedly that Haru is trying to come to a solution too, but the redhead is not having any more luck. _'When we were in our minds, we did move and talk in sync, but is that really everything-'_

''Tenma?'' the brunet looks up, meeting Shindou's brown eyes that inspect the younger boy with an unreadable look in them. ''You okay? You looked like you spaced out there for a moment.''

Tenma smiles brightly at him. ''I'm fine! Just thinking!''

''About what? You looked pretty serious.'' Tsurugi seems to have decided to ignore Taiyou and Shinsuke, who have finally fallen silent. Somehow, the entire bus seems to have gone quiet, waiting for the brunet's reply.

Tenma decides in a split second, and a full-out grin appears on his face. ''Soccer! I haven't touched a soccer ball in days!'' he takes a candy from his back and eats with a blissful expression on his face.

His friends sweat-drop at his actions, and Shindou chuckles. ''So, what have you been doing if it's not soccer?''

'' _Tell them, I'm okay with it,''_ mutters Haru when he feels Tenma's uncertainty about the answer to the question.

The brunet shoots his friend a small thank you, before focusing on the game maker again. ''Hmm…'' he tilts his head in thought. ''Well, I've been avoiding you guys,'' he says, ignoring the obvious flinch from his friends, ''and we went to a hospital to talk to a girl there… We went to a café where we met up with some people, and the next day we broke into a school!'' he says, grinning brightly at the others. ''And then we had to go to a hospital again, and we escaped from there. Then I got chased around by some guys and I ran into Sangoku-senpai and Kurama-senpai.''

''Y-you what?!'' exclaims a shocked Kariya, as he stares wide-eyed at his brown-haired friend.

Shuu catches on and joins the conversation. ''Hm-hm. It was quite the adventure, actually,'' he says, smiling at the shocked faces. ''Though that time when we were almost caught was really nerve-wracking!''

Tenma nods in agreement. ''Which time? The school or the hospital?''

Shuu sighs and shakes his head. ''Both.''

Hakuryuu stares at the two of them, before smirking. ''Are you trying to give Raimon a heart attack?'' at the innocent looks the two are giving him, he sighs and shakes his head. ''Never mind.''

* * *

Haru is snickering softly as he listens absentmindedly to Tenma and Shuu's conversation. Raimon's reactions are hilarious! He sighs, a content smile on his face, as he stares out of the window of the train. The landscape flashes by, blue and green.

Soon, the train starts to slow. When it completely stops, Haru stands up and grabs his bag. A moment later he stands in the fresh midday air, staring at the sky. White cotton clouds float around lazily, and Haru inhales deeply. He starts to walk, an almost unnoticeable bounce in his steps.

Soon after he sees the familiar white building. He enters the building, immediately walking through the halls. He stops in front of a door at the third floor and knocks twice, immediately entering the room.

The girl on the bed looks up, and stares at him in shock. The redhead smiles warmly and walks to the chair next to the bed. ''Hey Ayu,'' he says softly.

''Nii-san!'' Ayumi attacks her brother with a hug, her smile lighting up the room. ''I've missed you so much!'' her long red hair hides her face as she holds on to the boy.

Haru hugs her back and strokes her hair. ''I've missed you too,'' he mutters softly.

After a while, the girl pulls away and looks up at her brother. Her eyes widen and she gasps. ''Nii-san, are you okay?!'' Haru blinks at her in confusion, and the girl slowly raises her hand to touch the bandage around his eye. ''What happened to you?'' Haru bites his lip, hesitating. The red-haired girl looks up with big, lime green eyes. ''Nii-san?''

' _Haru, she's worried about you,_ ' Tenma's voice suddenly sounds through his head. _'She's a smart girl. You can't keep her in the dark,'_ he warns.

Haru frowns. _''Are you saying I should just tell my twelve-year-old sister I am being used as an illegal lab rat?''_ he snaps. He can feel the stunned surprise from Tenma at his words, and immediately feels guilty. _''Sorry. I shouldn't have said that,''_ he apologizes.

The brunet mentally smiles at him. _'Don't worry, I get it. You're just worried. And I'm not saying you should tell her_ everything _, but tell her something. She needs to know, Haru. I won't force you to, but please, just listen to what I said.'_

Haru thinks, his sister keeping quiet as she sees how deep in thought he is. As the male redhead inspects her for a moment, he gives in. _''Fine.''_

''I'm… look, Ayumi, you've met Tenma, right?'' he doesn't need to ask, for he has already seen Tenma's memories about the events, but he needs a way to start the conversation.

The girl nods immediately. ''Hai, Tenma-san came here a few days ago.''

Haru nods a few times, trying to think of what to say. After a moment, he sighs and decides to just 'go with the flow'. ''Well I met Tenma for the first time officially three weeks after our match. We became fast friends, and from then on things became… complicated.'' He sighs and groans. ''I have no idea how to tell you this…'' he mutters under his breath.

His sister hears him, and takes one of his hands in hers. ''Nii-san, I… you don't have to tell me, if you don't want to,'' she says softly, sad eyes looking up at her brother. ''But just… just promise me you'll be alright?''

Haru stares at her with surprised eyes, but then smiles warmly and ruffles her hair. ''I can't promise that,'' he says and Ayumi frowns. Before she can say anything, however, he continues. ''But I _do_ promise that I will do my best, okay? That's all I can say for now.''

Ayumi stares the older redhead for a moment, and then slowly nods. ''Okay.''

The boy sighs in relief and pulls the girl in a hug. ''Thanks, Ayu. Now tell me about how you've been doing,'' he says, pulling back. ''Hospital food still as bad as you said?'' he grins mischievously.

His sister makes a gagging noise. ''Worse,'' she mutters, and Haru laughs. Then the disgusted scowl disappears from her face and she looks up happily. ''But I'm getting better! And mom and dad said that we'd go out this weekend to celebrate! And they even got permission from your school so you can come too!''

Haru's face lights up like a kid on Christmas. ''Really? That's great, Ayumi!'' he's really happy his sister is feeling better. Even since she was young, she's had a very frail health.

' _That's great news, Haru!'_ sounds a happy voice through his head, and Haru grins.

'' _I know right? It almost makes all this stuff worth it!''_ then he calms down a bit. _''Well, maybe not… but it at least keeps me motivated.''_

Tenma chuckles. _'Hai, that's true.'_

* * *

After the two hour ride from Tokyo to Inazuma Town, the familiar buildings finally come into view. Tenma leans towards the window to catch a glimpse of the town that is his home.

Tsurugi watches him amusement. ''There's a surprise tomorrow at the Paradise Stadium,'' he says, and Tenma looks surprised at him.

''Hmm? A surprise? What is it?'' he asks, but Tsurugi just smiles at him, not answering. After a few seconds of staring at the forward, the brunet realizes he won't get an answer and leans back in his seat, pointedly turning his head away from Tsurugi with a huff.

While the other snickers, Tenma leans to the other side to watch the coach, who is sitting in the front. ''Coach!''

The man turns around. ''Yes?''

''Where are we going?'' asks Tenma, and Endou grins at him.

''Aki's. You have no idea how worried she's been,'' he says, and Tenma looks down guiltily. The coach smiles encouragingly at him. ''Tomorrow we will start training at the Paradise Stadium again, that is, if you're up to it.''

The brunet grins. ''Of course I am!''

Ten minutes later the bus stops in front of the familiar house. Tenma takes a deep breath and follows his friends as they exit the bus. They all stare at him expectantly.

Quietly, Tenma walks up to the front door, his friends standing a few meter behind him. He raises his hand to press the bell, but stops when he sees his hand trembling.

' _I'm… shaking?'_

Suddenly he hears a familiar voice in his head. _''Calm down, it'll be okay.''_

Haru sends him comforting feelings through their bond, and a small fleeting smile crosses his face as the brunet presses the doorbell.

The sounds of footsteps can be heard from inside the house, and then the door opens.

Aki's smile falls from her face the moment she sees who is standing in front of her door, and she freezes. Tenma gives her a hesitant smile. ''Um… hey, Aki-nee.''

'' _That the best you can come up with?''_ mutters Haru in disbelief. _''She's been worried crazy, and all you have to say is 'hey'?''_

Tenma doesn't get the chance to respond however, as Aki seems to be pulled back to the present and wraps her arms around him.

The brunet is frozen for a second, and Haru's voice wakes him up from his shock. _''Hug her back, baka,''_ hisses the redhead and the brunet quickly wraps his own arms around his cousin's waist.

After a while the woman steps back, keeping her hands on Tenma's shoulders. ''Where have you been, young man?'' she asks, tears staining her cheeks and a mix of worry, anger and relief on her face.

Tenma smiles weakly, not used to seeing his caretaker angry. ''Um… around?'' he mutters, but the woman doesn't seem to hear him.

''Never do that again, understand?''

The brunet looks down. ''Hai, Aki-nee. Gomennasai.''

The woman ruffles his hair and hugs him again, a short one this time. ''Good.'' She then looks at Endou and smiles, wiping her tears away. ''Thank you, Endou-kun.'' Her eyes fall on the teens a few feet behind her cousin. ''Well, don't just stand there! Come in, I just made cookies!''

* * *

''They escaped! They fucking escaped _again!''_

Jirou shivers at the angry voice of his brother. They are in their secret lab, Kazuo releasing his anger on the steel walls by punching them and actually leaving holes. The younger shrinks back in fear as his brother demolishes the place.

Kazuo turns around to look at his brother, sapphire blazing with unconcealed fury. '' _You_ ,'' he hisses, and a shiver goes down the younger's spine. ''You should've- should've done something! If you just… if you weren't such a weakling we wouldn't- I would- that brat would be-'' Kazuo stumbles over his words in anger, and walks towards his brother like a predator would to its cornered prey.

The younger walks back, hands held up in front of him in a vain attempt to stop his twin brother. ''Nii-san, please-''

'' _Don't_ call me brother!''

Jirou flinches at the angry tone, still stumbling backwards. His eyes widen in fear when his back hits the wall and he realizes he has nowhere to run.

Kazuo realizes it too and grins, showing his teeth. His face is crunched up in anger, his tousled hair falling in front of his sapphire eyes that seem to glow dangerously.

''You ruined my life,'' spats the older out through gritted teeth. ''You were always, _always_ so weak. You couldn't do _anything_ on your own. **I** was the one who had to solve your problems, **I** was the one who had to pay for _your_ mistakes! I could've been the perfect son dad wanted, but because I had to protect _you_ I never had the chance. I got _hurt_ for you, I let you _use_ me as a shield when dad was angry again, angry at _you_! And you can't even _pay me back_ properly!''

During his angry rant the director slowly got closer, until he is only a few inches away from the coach. Pure fear is visible on Jirou's face, and his voice trembles when he tries to speak. ''Please, I… I never meant to-''

'' **Shut up!** '' Kazuo's hands close around his brother's throat, and the younger tries to get the air his body needs, but to no avail. Kazuo's eyes are clouded over like he is in a world of his own, and he continues talking without realizing he is slowly choking his younger brother. ''How many times have I gotten hit for you? Punched, kicked, cut? Do you know what I had to _give up_ for you? We always did everything together! You _promised_ me we would always do everything together!'' another emotion wells up in his eyes, the despair mixing with the fury. ''But that changed! That all changed when _Raimon_ came and beat our team! When I needed you the most you _left me_ to take the hits! You broke our promise and I let myself take _your_ punishment!''

Jirou has stopped fighting for air and just stares at the other in sorrow. The anger and hate has disappeared from Kazuo's face and is replaced by some childlike sadness.

Even though his body screams for him to fight the man that is slowly killing him, Jirou fights his instincts and places a hand on his brother's cheek. Kazuo looks up, his sapphire eyes glassy, and the coach forces a smile through the burning of his lungs. ''G-gomen… Nii-san…'' he whispers, forcing the precious oxygen from his lungs.

Kazuo lessens his grip, the tears in his eyes threatening to fall down his cheeks. His brother gulps down the air while the older leans his head on Jirou's shoulder. ''Promise me, Jirou…'' whispers the director in an almost whiny voice. ''Promise me… you'll never leave me alone? Right?'' his voice is filled with a childlike plea.

Jirou closes his eyes, leaning his head against the wall. ''Hai, Nii-san,'' he answers softly. ''I'll never leave you alone.''

His sapphire eyes open, filled with a mix of sorrow, fear and pity.

''I promise.''

* * *

The soccer players are gathered in Aki's living room, enjoying the fresh chocolate chip cookies the woman has baked. They laugh at a funny story from Kurumada and then fall in a satisfied silence, enjoying their cookies.

The silence is broken by the third-year who just finished his story. ''Hey, Tenma,'' he says, and the brunet looks up.

''Hai?''

''Is it true you come from Okinawa?'' the other soccer players look up, also interested in their captain's past.

Tenma blinks in surprise and nods. ''Hai. How did you know that?''

''I told them when we were looking for you,'' says Aoi and smiles at her childhood friend.

''How come you never told us about it?'' asks Shindou, and Tenma shrugs.

''I guess it just never came up,'' he answers and then looks at his friends. ''Why? Do you want to hear about it?'' when his friends nod, he pauses for a moment to think. ''Hmm… well, I was just a normal kid with a normal family. No siblings or something, two happily married parents and a very stubborn grandma,'' he smiles to himself at the thought of his family. ''When I was three I got in an accident with some balks, a puppy and a soccer ball.''

The ones who know the story smile. At the mention of a puppy, Sasuke, who was lying at Tenma's feet, lifts his head and gives his owner's a hand a lick. The brunet laughs and pets him. ''You know all about that, don't you Sasuke?'' he leans back and continues the story. ''That's where my love for soccer started, and I started practicing on my own. Everything was fine for a few years, until I reached my seventh birthday. My father got a promotion and started to work more. He started to work more and was often tired… I, being a naïve seven-year-old kid I was, didn't realize this, and my father…''

Tenma's nostalgic smile has been replaced by a frown. The atmosphere is suddenly a lot colder and thicker. ''He…'' Shindou hesitates for a moment but then continues. ''He didn't abuse you, did he?''

The brunet's eyes widen, and he shakes his head rapidly. ''No! No, not at all,'' his friends relax, ''he just snapped at me. My mom didn't really like this and tried to talk to him, but he didn't listen. Eventually, when I was eight, she sent me away to live with Aki-nee. That was the plan all along, because I wanted to go to Raimon and Aki-nee lives in Inazuma Town, but it happened faster than we planned because of my dad. I started school here while my mom and grandma talked some sense into my father. They got through to him, and when I was nine I met him again and everything was solved. Because I would be going to Raimon Junior High anyway, we decided it would be easier if I just continued living here with Aki-nee.''

His friends relax, intrigued by their captain's earlier life. ''You never told me your past was so eventful,'' mutters Shindou. ''Even though you told me about the accident.''

Tenma shrugs, a bit uncomfortable. ''I didn't think it was relevant…'' he says, and takes another cookie.

The rest of the time they tell more stories, avoiding any heavy topics for now, but everyone knows they will have to talk sooner or later.

They just aren't sure when that will be.

* * *

That night, after his friends have left and the guest rooms for Hakuryuu and Shuu are prepared, Tenma sighs as he gets ready to go to sleep.

'' _I guess we both had a rough day, huh?''_ asks Haru sleepily, and Tenma gives a humored hum. _''You with your team, me with my sister…''_

' _Yeah, and we're kind of in this together so everything that happened to me was just as important to you,'_ answers Tenma as he brushes his teeth.

'' _True,''_ replies Haru absentmindedly. With a quick glance through their bond Tenma notices that the redhead is brushing his hair in front of a mirror.

He then does a double take, because his red-haired friend has his hair down. _'Wow, your hair is really long,'_ he says, still looking through the other's eyes. Haru's flaming red hair is reaching past his shoulder blades, and the mirror shows the redhead's blushing face.

'' _I look like a girl,''_ mutters the Kanashimi player mentally, taking the opportunity to look through Tenma's eyes. _''And you look completely normal.''_ An annoyed undertone sounds through his mental voice.

Tenma puts his toothbrush away absentmindedly, focused on both the vision from his own eyes and the vision through Haru's orange orbs.

Both their visions are a bit strange because they're both wearing a bandage around their left eye. Haru feels where the brunet's thoughts are going, and realizes something. _''I think the bleeding stopped.''_

The brunet blinks in surprise. _'Really?'_ he realizes the other is right. _'Wait, now that you mention it…'_

'' _Do you think it's safe to take the bandages off?''_ asks Haru curiously, touching the material covering his eye.

Without realizing it, the brunet copies his movement perfectly and at the exact same time. _'I don't know… probably. I mean, the experiment is complete, right?'_ then another thought comes to him, and he can't hide the fear in his mind. _'Do you think we're blind?'_

'' _What? No, of course not!''_ but the redhead can feel the fear welling up in his stomach. _''Well… I guess there's only one way to find out…''_

' _You sure?'_ asks Tenma hesitantly, and is answers by a wave of reassuring feelings.

'' _We'll do this together, okay?''_

Tenma shakes his head to clear his thoughts and then nods, knowing the other is looking through his eyes like he is looking through Haru's. _'Okay. On three.'_

'' _One,''_ the redhead's voice is unwavering, not showing his fear at all.

The brunet swallows, his throat dry, hands reaching behind his head. _'Two.'_

The two friends untie the bandages, their hands being the only thing keeping the white material in place. _'''Three!'''_ they say together, and let the bandages fall away.

Tenma blinks, his left eye slowly getting used to the sudden light. _'Well, at least it's not bleeding,'_ he says and Haru snorts.

'' _And we're not blind.''_

Then the brunet looks in the mirror, and freezes.

'' _Oh… my god…''_ whispers Haru in a shocked tone. _''Are… are you seeing this?''_

' _Y-yes,'_ whispers Tenma back, stunned, still staring at his reflection.

One grey and one orange eye stare back.

* * *

 **Yes, that really happened. Personally, I think it's awesome.**

 **A bit more information on the Ishikawa twins… this is thanks to my best friend (who doesn't have an account), who helped me think of a back story for them.**

 **Tenma will (probably) tell his friends about the experimenting next chapter, so look forward to it!**

 **Thank you guys so much for supporting me with your favorites, follows and reviews! And a special thanks to my friend Eme Hire, who, once again, helped me write this chapter with her advice. Thank you very much, Yaa-chan~! :)**

 **\- Yara Meijer**


	22. Truth and Lies

**Hello, my dear readers.**

 **It's been a while, I know, but my personal life has been quite hectic and I've had another major writer's block. I'm so sorry, but, as apology, this chapter is 2500 words longer than usual :)**

 **Onto the reviews:**

 _ **R:**_ **I'm happy to know you enjoy this story! I hope you'll enjoy the next chapters and the sequel just as much. You've reread it three times already? Wow, that's amazing!**

 _ **Coco Baldwin:**_ **Well, here is the answer! Hope you enjoy!**

 _ **IeGBestFriend:**_ **Hahaha, I'm glad you enjoy this story so much! Happy New Year to you too, though it's four months late… *sweatdrops* ehehehe… sorry for not updating, I just didn't have any inspiration. When I asked for inspiration from my best friend, she was like 'kill one of those mental link guys and let the other deal with it'. Can you believe it? I can't kill any of them! Noooo! Sorry, getting of track here. So, no killing XD Please, try to concentrate on your exams! I know it can be distracting if you're reading good fanfiction, but grades are important too! Ahaha… that's quite smart, how you got your laptop back… and longest review? For this story, don't know. For all of my stories, DEFINITELY NOT. Tenma's family… interesting, but it doesn't fit in with the story. Maybe I'll make a one-shot about that, how about that? Hmm… Haruna and Gouenji? Sorry, I don't really ship them and it wouldn't fit in with the story… you can send me a request, if you like. I take requests (you can find the rules on my profile). Thanks for all the reviews!**

 _ **Crazy-chan707:**_ **Jep, Kazuo is INSANE. Literally. I created their back story with help from my best friend, and honestly, once you know it you'll really see Kazuo as the bad guy and Jirou as one of the victims. Well, this chappie Tenma and Haru will tell them about the experiment… but Raimon's reactions will come in the next chapter. I'm glad you liked it, reader-chan XD do you like Fubuki and Atsuya?**

 _ **Rose:**_ **I take it you liked it, then?**

 _ **Eme Hire:**_ **Here you go, Yaa-chan~! Took me long enough, hm?**

 _ **Bacira99:**_ **I'm glad you enjoy it so much. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the others!**

 _ **Anonymous Person:**_ **hahaha, I had to laugh so hard at the whole 'Godly Drink' part. Yes, I know my mind is… complicated. It's not like I like torture and bad stuff, but it's just… you know, my favorite characters (mostly the protagonists) always do a lot of things for the other characters and are always there for them. But you almost never see** _ **them**_ **get hurt, and that's kind of a shame. I love to read about the other characters when they realize how much they care about the protagonist once he or she gets hurt (and yeah, it can be a** _ **bit**_ **extreme…)**

 _ **Aquila Aqua:**_ **Here you go! Sorry for the wait~!**

 _ **seshhxkagii99:**_ **Here's the next chapter, enjoy!**

 **Well, I guess that's everything. Thanks for all the reviews, guys!**

 **Disclaimer: the usual. I don't own, except the OCs~!**

 **Well then, please enjoy, everyone!**

* * *

'' _One,'' the redhead's voice is unwavering, not showing his fear at all._

 _The brunet swallows, his throat dry, hands reaching behind his head. 'Two.'_

 _The two friends untie the bandages, their hands being the only thing keeping the white material in place. '''Three!''' they say together, and let the bandages fall away._

 _Tenma blinks, his left eye slowly getting used to the sudden light. 'Well, at least it's not bleeding,' he says and Haru snorts._

'' _And we're not blind.''_

 _Then the brunet looks in the mirror, and freezes._

'' _Oh… my god…'' whispers Haru in a shocked tone. ''Are… are you seeing this?''_

' _Y-yes,' whispers Tenma back, stunned, still staring at his reflection._

 _One grey and one orange eye stare back._

* * *

The next morning a certain brunet is laying in his bed, staring at the ceiling of his room tiredly. _'Haru… what do we do now?'_ asks Tenma quietly, knowing his friend is already awake.

The redhead doesn't verbally answer, his emotions a mix of uncertainty and fear. After a few moments of mental silence he finally answers. _''Well… I guess… my team already knows about the experimenting, so there's no problem there. Since all Kanashimi students live at the dorms close by the school, I'll just have to cover my eye when I see my parents and sister today. And you're going to tell your team too, so that's no problem either…''_ he trails off.

The brunet turns on his side, staring at the old soccer ball lying on the small cupboard on the other side of the room. His multicolored eyes are almost immediately attracted to the rough sketch of the lightning mark. _'That's… not what I meant,'_ he says finally. _'How much will this… affect us? We can't do this alone. I'm… I'm scared,'_ he admits hesitantly.

Haru doesn't react for a moment. _''So… so am I, but… once your friends and coach know about it, they can help us, right?'_

Tenma doesn't need to answer for the other knows they agree on the subject. The brunet sighs as he looks at the clock hanging on the wall and realizes it's time for him to get up.

After taking a quick shower and dressing in his soccer uniform – oh, how he's missed it – he pets Sasuke for a moment and then steps out of his room. For a moment he hesitates but then he makes a decision and walks towards one of the other doors. He knocks lightly, hoping his friend is already awake.

''Who is it?'' comes a voice from the other side, and the brunet sighs in relief.

''It's me. Sorry for disturbing you, but I… need help,'' he says, hearing shuffling sounds from the room.

''A moment,'' calls the other back. ''Come in.''

Tenma opens the door and walks inside, taking a quick look at the room. It's nothing special: a bed, a desk with a chair, a closet and a cupboard filled with books. The occupant of the room is just making the bed. ''So, what is it you need help with?'' asks Shuu as he turns around to face his friend. Once he takes a good look at the brunet, his eyes widen and he takes a minute to compose himself. ''W-what…?''

Tenma hesitantly closes the door behind him and looks at the ground. ''Um… yeah…'' he mutters, not knowing how to start. ''It's because of the experiment,'' he mutters finally, fidgeting in place.

Shuu's expression softens and he nods in understanding. ''I… see,'' he says after a while. ''And Haru-san…?''

''Same,'' answers Tenma immediately, letting a hand drift towards his left eye. ''I… what should I do?''

The islander thinks for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his face, but then he looks up and raises an eyebrow. ''Are you going to tell your team the truth?''

The brunet nods. ''That's the plan…''

Shuu sits down on the bed in deep thought. After a moment of silence, he looks up. ''Do you know how?''

Tenma hesitates but then shakes his head. He sits down on the chair next to the bureau and sighs. ''No idea. I don't want them to freak out but I just don't think I can say this easily. Haru's trying to think of something too, but he is going out with his family today, so he has to worry about that as well…''

His friends blinks. ''Really?'' surprise is visible in his dark eyes, but something else can be seen as well, something Tenma doesn't recognize.

Pushing it aside for now, the brunet nods again. ''Hai, they're going to the shopping district here since it's bigger than the one at his hometown.''

Suddenly Shuu's eyes light up in realization and he smiles. ''That's great!'' at Tenma's confused look, he explains. ''I think I have an idea.'' Tenma looks at him, curiosity shining in his multicolored eyes. ''Here's what we're going to do…''

* * *

Jirou is walking towards his brother's office when he hears voices drift through the halls towards him. He frowns, not remembering if they had any visitors today, and curiously makes his way to the source of the sound.

He sees his brother standing in front of his office, talking to two other adults. As he walks closer, he inspects them.

The man has blueish black hair that reaches his chin. His orange eyes can be seen from behind a pair of black glasses and he is quite tall, wearing casual yet slightly formal clothing. He has a welcoming smile on his face as he talks with Kanashimi's director.

Next to him is a woman with bright red hair in a braid that falls down her back. Her eyes are a beautiful, lime green color, and she wears a light green dress. She is holding the hand of a young girl, about twelve years old, with her mother's long, red hair that falls in waves down her shoulders to her lower back and big, lime green eyes.

Kazuo sees him and motions him over. ''This is my brother, Jirou, coach of the soccer club,'' he smiles politely at the three when the coach reaches them. ''Jirou, these are Sakaki Katsu-san, Sakaki Hanako-san, and their daughter, Sakaki Ayumi-chan. As you probably guessed, these are Sakaki-kun's parents and siblings.''

Jirou raises an eyebrow as he shakes hands with the two adults and waves at the young girl. ''It's nice to meet you, Sakaki-san,'' he nods politely.

The man, Sakaki Katsu, nods back and smiles. ''The honor is ours, Ishikawa-san.''

The coach looks at his brother for a moment before turning his attention back to the guests. ''If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here?''

His brother chuckles sheepishly. ''Ah, I must've forgotten to tell you that, Jirou. Sakaki-kun has permission to go out with his family today, to celebrate his sister's health improvement,'' he explains lightly, yet his eyes hold a different warning.

Jirou lowers his head almost unnoticeably, signing that he understands the situation. ''I see. Congratulations,'' he says to Ayumi, who smiles shyly at him.

''We will return Haru-kun for his training camp tonight, if that's alright with you,'' says Hanako and the two nod. ''Honestly, he should've told us he had to stay at school for training! We only got the call the day of the training camp!'' she shakes her head good-naturally.

''Ah, that might be my fault, I'm afraid,'' smiles Jirou apologetically. ''There were some uncertainties about the training camp and I informed the students a bit too late. I apologize for that.''

Katsu shakes his head. ''No, it's okay. I imagine you must be very busy.''

Kazuo joins the conversation again. ''Thank you for understanding,'' he says. ''Now, if you would accompany me? Then I can check if your son's absence during the training camp has been noted down correctly.'' The director smiles. ''Maybe young Sakaki-chan can accompany my brother while they go pick up her brother?''

''That's all right, I suppose,'' says Hanako after sharing a look with her husband. She turns towards her daughter. ''Okay Ayu-chan, you can join Ishikawa-san and go to Haru-kun, alright? Just be careful, we wouldn't want you to go back to the hospital during our family outing.''

The girl nods. ''Of course, Kaa-chan.''

Jirou nods at the parents and then looks at the girl. ''Very well, if you'll follow me, Ojou-sama?'' the girl giggles as she follows the coach.

Ayumi looks around curiously as they walk through the school. ''Um, excuse me, sir?'' she asks and the man smiles down at her gently. ''Nii-chan said that you and your brother are twins. Who is the oldest?'' she asks, curiosity evident in her voice.

The man blinks, surprised. ''Ah, Nii-san is older than I am,'' he says. ''I suppose we have that in common, hm?'' the girl nods. ''Are you and your brother close?'' he can't help but ask, even though he knows it's not a good idea to do see.

Ayumi nods happily. ''Hai! Nii-chan always brings me candy when he comes to visit, and he's really nice and kind!'' her face falls into a pout. ''But sometimes he does stupid things so then I have to scold him.'' She huffs. ''Sometimes I think I'm the oldest!'' then her lime green eyes soften. ''But I still love him! I mean, he's my big brother!''

Jirou swallows when he feels the lump in his throat. ''I… I see,'' he mutters softly.

The redhead looks at him curiously. ''Is something wrong, sir?'' she asks worriedly.

The coach sighs and pulls on his pigtail. ''No, I was just remembering some things that happened between Kazuo and myself,'' he smiles down at her. ''No need to worry.''

She blinks. ''Oh,'' she says and tilts her head. ''But… you do know that, just because your brother is older, he's not always right… right? I mean, Nii-chan is an amazing person but sometimes he does things which are wrong. Nothing horrible! But due to my condition, he's quite protective, and sometimes I just have to remind him that not everything he does is right!'' she giggles. ''Sometimes I have to talk him out of some of his impossible ideas. I really love him, and that's why I always want to make sure that he doesn't cross the line.''

Jirou freezes as he stares at the young girl, who is so smart for her age. The young redhead turns around and smiles knowingly at him. ''We might be the younger siblings, Ishikawa-san, but that doesn't mean we have to follow our older brothers everywhere. They're not always right.''

Her expression turns serious, lime green boring mercilessly into sapphire blue. ''If Haruki was to do something really horrible, I'd do everything I can to stop him. Sometimes, defying someone you _know_ is wrong makes you stronger than any fight can ever make you. It is _because_ I love my brother that I can tell him he's wrong.''

The coach stares at her, his mouth slightly open in shock. His hands are trembling and he breathes in deeply. He blinks furiously, her words hitting closer to home than he'd ever like to admit. _'Is she… is she right? Is what Kazuo is doing really wrong?'_ he asks himself as he remembers everything that has happened to him and his brother the past few years. _'Is it really wrong I want to protect my brother?'_

Instead of facing these thoughts, he pushes the confusion to the back of his mind. ''Let's get going, we're almost there,'' he says and starts walking again, not seeing the disappointed expression on Ayumi's face as she follows him.

Soon they reach the soccer field, where the team is practicing. ''Break time!'' orders Jirou as he and Ayumi make their way to the bench. Soon, the team is gathered there as well.

The red-haired girl sees another, familiar redhead and runs forward, jumping in his arms. The moment Haru sees the flash of red, he instinctively opens his arms to catch her, and twirls her around. Her laughs fill the air as the soccer team looks at the scene. With a smile, Haru places his laughing sister back on her feet. ''Ayu!'' he gives her a hug, which she returns happily.

The girl is too breathless to respond, but her smile says everything. She inspects her brother. He looks happier than last time he came to visit her, his one visible eye shining in delight. His right eye is covered by white bandages.

''Sakaki? Who is this?'' asks Shimizu curiously, summing up the thoughts of the whole team.

The two redheads turn around to face the soccer players and Haru smiles at them. ''This is my little sister, Ayumi,'' he says and the girl waves shyly. ''Our parents are taking us to Inazuma Town to celebrate.''

''Celebrate what?'' asks Mizuno curiously.

Ayumi is the one who answer. ''I have a weak health, and most of the time I am in the hospital,'' she says and Haru's eye narrows as he glances at Jirou. His teammates, who all caught the look, immediately understand. ''Since the last test results were very positive, we're going out to celebrate!''

''That's great, Ayumi-chan!'' says Hitomi with a warm smile, warning her teammates to gather their thoughts. They seem to realize what she means, because the cautious looks are replaced with smiles. ''Ah, can I call you that?'' asks the manager as she looks at the redhead.

Ayumi nods. ''Of course, um…''

''I'm Fujita Hitomi,'' introduces the older girl herself. ''I'm one of the managers.''

The younger girl smiles brightly. ''Hitomi-san, then! You have very beautiful eyes!''

The brown-haired girl blushes and her reddish pink eyes sparkle happily. ''Thank you, Ayumi-chan. You have very nice eyes too, and your hair is beautiful,'' she compliments the redhead, and said redhead blushes.

''Ayumi! Haru!'' the two siblings look up to see their parents and the director standing in front of the school, Jirou on his way to join them.

The red-haired girl smiles. ''Kaa-chan!'' she runs in the direction of her parents, her bright red hair dancing in the wind.

''Careful, Ayu!'' calls Haru with an amused smile, watching his sister wave in answer. Then his fond smile falls off his face and he closes his eye. ''You can ask,'' he tells his hesitant teammates.

Said teammates share a look. Akemi eventually decides to take the lead. ''Is she the reason you're here?'' she asks simply.

Haru opens his one orange eye and nods unwillingly as he crosses his arms. ''Hai. Ayumi has always had a weak immune system, and the director and the coach offered to pay for her treatment. My parents couldn't pay the hospital bills, and she _needs_ that treatment. I had no choice.''

Suddenly Shimizu places a hand on the younger's shoulder, and an orange eye meets green. The captain smiles sadly. ''Your love for your sister is admirable.''

Haru hesitantly smiles back. ''Thanks, captain.''

* * *

''Tenma, where are you going?'' The brunet turns around to face his relative, Shuu and Hakuryuu right behind him. Aki has her hands on her hips as she looks at him sternly. ''You three have to be at the Paradise Stadium in an hour,'' she reminds them, but they can see the worry in her eyes.

Tenma smiles weakly. His now orange eye is covered by fresh bandages. ''There's something I have to do first,'' he says pleadingly. ''I promise I'm not going to run off again.''

Aki sighs and smiles slightly. ''I'm just worried about you,'' she says softly and the brunet looks down, ashamed. The green-haired woman smiles wider. ''Very well, you can go, _if_ you make sure you're on time for training at Paradise Stadium. And if you run off again, you're grounded for life.''

The brunet sweatdrops and nods in understanding. Meanwhile, Shuu addresses the woman politely. ''Do not worry, Aki-san. Hakuryuu and I will accompany Tenma, so nothing will happen.''

Aki nods at him. ''Thank you, Shuu-kun. Have a safe trip, you three.''

''Hai! Thanks, Aki-nee!''

The three leave the house and make their way through the town. Luckily for them, it's not very busy so no one goes crazy because they see the supposedly missing Matsukaze Tenma walk towards the shopping district.

About fifteen minutes later, they reach the meeting place and sit down on a bench to wait. ''How long till he gets here?'' the albino, opens one lazy eye to look at Tenma.

Before the brunet can answer, however, he hears a shout. ''Teeeeeeeenmaaaaaaaaa!''

Said boy smiles and stands up. ''There he is.''

* * *

Haru shoots a look at his parents and keeps himself from sighing. Their plan might be good, but how is he supposed to get there if his parents won't stop going into shops?!

''Nii-chan, is something wrong?'' Ayumi's voice breaks him out of his thoughts.

The male redhead looks at her and immediately smiles. ''No, it's nothing.''

The girl pouts and furrows her eyebrows. ''Don't lie, Nii-chan! I can see there's something bothering you!'' she crosses her arms stubbornly and stops walking. ''And I won't move until you tell me what it is!''

Their parents look at the girl in surprise before their eyes go to their son. ''Haru, what's wrong?'' asks Katsu, and he raises a curious eyebrow.

The boy looks away and his gaze falls on his sister. ''Gee, thanks Ayu,'' he mutters and the girl sticks out her tongue at him.

''Ayu-chan, don't do that,'' scolds Hanako and then turns to her son with a smile. ''What is it, Haru-kun? You can tell us.''

The redhead sighs and tugs on his hair. ''Fine, I was actually supposed to meet up with a friend…'' he mutters and his parents blink. ''I mean, we live in different towns so I don't see him all that much, and-''

Katsu holds up his hands to stop him. ''Wow, calm down son!'' he chuckles and shares a look with his wife. ''It's great you're making friends, Haru. You could've just told us, we don't mind.'' Then his orange eyes fall on his daughter. ''That is, if your sister is okay with it. It's _her_ day, after all.''

Brother and sister share a look and lime green eyes light up in realization. ''It's Tenma-san, isn't it?'' at her brother's nod, she smiles. ''Of course I don't mind! Tenma-san is very nice!''

''Thanks Ayu!'' her brother gives her a hug. ''I'm supposed to meet him somewhere down the street. Can I go ahead? Please?'' he looks at his parents with a pleading eye. Chuckling, Hanako nods.

''Of course, but be-'' her son is already gone and she sighs. ''-careful,'' she finishes with a smile and a shake of her head. ''That boy,'' she sighs. ''I swear, I don't know who he got it from. Always running off.''

Meanwhile, Haru is racing down the street, skillfully avoiding all obstacles in his way. _'Haru, we're here,'_ comes Tenma's voice in his head. _'What about you?'_

'' _Sorry, Ten!''_ he calls back as he gracefully runs around a woman with a small child. _''Getting away from my parents took longer than expected!''_

Tenma's voice sounds amused when he responds. _'Okay, but… since when do you call me Ten?'_

'' _Since now.''_ He can see them now and grins. ''Teeeeeeeenmaaaaaaaaa!'' he yells loudly. Luckily there are not a lot of shoppers, but the ones who are there glare at him in annoyance or, in some cases, shake their heads in amusement.

The redhead ignores them and instead races towards the brunet, who is in the process of standing up. Before he can stop himself, Haru runs into him and they fall on the ground, when-

 _ **Flashes of lights and colors, all sounds muted-**_

The two flinch away from each other. From their link, he can feel Tenma's awe and their eyes meet. ''Did you see that?'' asks Haru with a wide eye. The brunet nods mutely.

After a moment of hesitation, the two of them come to the same decision. They reach out for each other again in perfect sync. Their hands touch, and _ **light and colors flash through the air. The sky is a strange, greyish black, filled with small flashes of colorful light, following invisible lines like spider threads. Haru looks around in awe. The shapes of his surroundings are outlined in white. Suddenly Haru's eye falls on the brunet in front of him. His friend seems to glow in a fierce, bright, green light, with a few orange specks through it. Where their hands touch, orange and green light fuse.**_

They retract their hands, staring at each other with wide eyes. _'What_ was _that?'_ asks Tenma mentally, stunned awe overflowing from their link.

The redhead just stares back with a wide, orange eye. _''N-no idea…''_

The moment is broken by a soft cough and the two friends simultaneously look up at Shuu and Hakuryuu, pulled back to the present world.

Haru and Tenma both stand up at the exact same time, dusting off their clothes. They don't notice the perfect synchronization, but Shuu and Hakuryuu do. With wide eyes they stare at the two.

''Haru, these two are Shuu and Hakuryuu,'' introduces Tenma. ''Shuu, Hakuryuu, this is my friend Haru.''

Shuu pushes his shock to the back of his mind as he smiles warmly. ''It's nice to meet you, Haru-san,'' he says and Hakuryuu nods in greeting.

The redhead grins brightly. ''Nice to meet you too, Shuu-san, Hakuryuu-san!'' he smiles cheerfully. ''Thanks for helping Tenma and I!'' he taps the side of his head twice. ''I've seen everything you've done for us. Really, thanks.''

Shuu smiles as Hakuryuu grumbles something that sounds like 'you're welcome'. Then the dark-haired islander tilts his head. ''What was that all about just now?''

Tenma and Haru share a look as the brunet answers. ''No idea. That never happened before…'' he trails off, uncertain. ''Think it's a side effect of the experiment?''

The redhead frowns and slowly nods. ''Could be…''

The two others look at them in confusion but then shrug it off. As the four continue to talk, Haru's parents and sister reach them. ''Nii-chan!'' calls a voice and the four turn around to look at the red-haired girl. Her eyes widen in surprise when she sees Hakuryuu and Shuu, but then she smiles brightly. ''Shuu-san, Hakuryuu-san and Tenma-san!''

''Hey Ayumi-chan.'' Tenma smiles at the girl.

Haru slings an arm over his shoulder and the world turns black again. Instead of retracting his arm, the redhead looks at his parents, who, to his surprise, are outlined in glowing, colorful lines of… energy?

The red-haired boy ignores it and grins at his parents. ''This is Matsukaze Tenma,'' he says. ''Ten, these are my mom and dad!''

Tenma shakes the arm off and smiles at the two adults. _'Can we figure the whole color-thing out when your parents are not here?'_ he begs and his friend mentally gives him thumbs-up. ''It's nice to meet you, Sakaki-san. These are my friends Shuu and Hakuryuu.''

Hanako smiles at the brunet as he bows politely. ''Please, you don't have to be so formal,'' she says warmly. ''It's nice to meet you as well, Tenma-kun. You can call me Hanako.''

''And you can call me Katsu,'' says her husband and he smiles as well.

The brunet nods. ''Okay, Hanako-san, Katsu-san!''

Shuu and Hakuryuu just smile politely while Haru tugs on his father's arm. ''Dad, is it okay if I go with them? They wanted to show me around…''

The dark-haired man thinks for a moment and then looks at his daughter and wife. ''I don't see a problem with it, but I think Ayumi is the one who should give permission…'' he smiles at the girl.

The female redhead gives her brother a hug. ''I don't mind, if you come back before we go to the restaurant!'' she releases the other and smiles.

Haru nods. ''Of course, Ayu.'' He ruffles his sister's hair as he gives a wave. ''Well then, we'll be off. Bye mom, bye dad, bye Ayu!''

* * *

''Hmm… it kind of sounds like auras to me,'' says Shuu thoughtfully. Haru and Tenma have just explained what happens when their skin makes contact.

''Aura?'' repeats Hakuryuu disbelievingly. ''You mean, that whole supernatural stuff is real?''

Shuu shoots him an annoyed look. ''It's not as much 'supernatural' as it is energy,'' he says. ''What do you think Keshin are? The literal definition is the ability to show your spiritual energy in a visible form. Usually it's invisible to the eye, but with enough willpower, you can materialize it. Training only makes it stronger,'' he explains.

''So…'' Haru frowns as Shuu's eyes fall on him. ''We're basically seeing the 'spiritual energy' that is usually invisible?''

The dark-haired player nods. ''That's what it sounds like to me, anyway. Haru-san, do you have a Keshin?''

The Kanashimi students nods. ''Hai. Why?''

''Due to your bond, your spiritual energy is tuned,'' explains Shuu slowly, as if choosing his words carefully. ''When you two touch, the two different energies basically fuse with each other. That's what the orange and green light meant – your energy was merging there. When that happens, your senses double in strength and you can detect other, usually invisible, energy streams in the world around you. Someone with a Keshin is always more attuned and resistant to other forms of energy, depending how strong your Keshin is. When you two physically touch, you have not the energy of _one_ but _two_ Keshin, thus making you even more attuned to the energy around you.''

Everyone stares at him.

''How do you _know_ all that?'' asks Hakuryuu with wide eyes.

Shuu winks at him and the albino scowls. ''I'm not completely sure, but it sounds logical to me.''

Meanwhile, they have almost reached the Paradise Stadium. Tenma can feel the nervous feelings from Haru through their bond, even though the redhead puts up a strong front. He frowns worriedly and his friend shoots him a look. _''I'm fine.''_

The brunet's frown deepens. _'You're not. Don't deny it, I'm nervous too.'_

Haru falters slightly but it's not enough for Shuu and Hakuryuu to notice. _''…we'll be fine.''_ The thought is quiet and the slightest bit hesitant.

' _That's it. I'm taking control.'_

'' _Tenma?''_ the brunet stops walking and smiles at the other two. ''You two go ahead, Haru and I have to take care of something first,'' he tells them. Shuu raises and eyebrow and Hakuryuu looks at them curiously, but they nod anyway and soon the two are left alone.

''Tenma?'' asks Haru quietly. _''What's going on?''_

The brunet smiles reassuringly at him and starts to think the English alphabet. _'A… b… c… d… e…'_

'' _Wait, what are you doing?''_ suddenly Haru's world flashes black as Tenma grabs his wrist. _''Why are you summing up the alphabet?''_ his eye widens in realization. _''Hey, are you doing this so I won't know what you're thinking? Tenma, answer me! Where are we going?!''_

The brunet just smiles and pulls him further.

* * *

'' _That was unfair.''_ Haru glares at his friend as they walk through the halls of the Paradise Stadium.

The other smiles at him. ''You don't really seem to mind it,'' he says as he steals one of the lollipops the redhead is holding. ''And it worked, didn't it?''

''… _I suppose.''_

' _You know,'_ says Tenma as he unwraps the candy. _'One advantage from this whole mental link is that we can talk while eating candy at the same time.'_

Haru rolls his eye. _''And we can talk without people listening in,''_ he points out. _''Wait, is that strawberry?''_

Tenma nods. _'Yep!'_ he chuckles softly as he reads Haru's mind. _'You have another strawberry lollipop! Don't be so selfish!'_

'' _But strawberry is amazing!''_

The brunet refrains from rolling his eye even though the other can read his mind. _'Well, sadly for you, I like strawberry as well.'_ The other huffs and a silence, mentally and physically, falls between them.

Eventually it's broken by Haru as he takes another lollipop, this time strawberry flavored. _''How do you think your teammates will react to… well, me?''_

Tenma glances at him and keeps quiet for a moment. Haru can feel the gears in his head working as the brunet thinks of the most logical outcome. _'…I don't know,'_ admits Tenma finally, a little unnecessary since the redhead followed his train of thought. _'Hopefully they'll listen after what happened last time…'_

Haru flinches as the match against Arakumo drifts up in his mind. He tries to hide it from his friend but Tenma has already picked up the memory and the guilt and stops walking. He takes the lollipop out of his mouth. ''Haru, it wasn't your fault,'' he says softly and the redhead looks down guiltily.

'' _I know, but-''_

Tenma's voice cuts him off. ''Haru, listen to me.'' Hesitant orange meets grey. ''It wasn't your fault. You were forced to do that, you know that.''

''So… you forgive me?'' asks the redhead softly.

The brunet places his hands on his friend's shoulders, ignoring the way the world turns black. ''There's nothing to forgive,'' he states with a smile. ''And I'm sure Taiyou forgives you too. And so does soccer!''

Haru laughs softly. ''Thanks, Ten.'' He starts to walk again. ''Come on, let's get going.''

' _What is it with you and that nickname?'_ echoes Tenma's amused thoughts through his head. The red-haired boy just throws his head back and laughs with the brunet soon joining in, Haru's happiness influencing him through their bond.

A few minutes later, long after their laughter died down, they reach the field of Paradise Stadium. The Raimon Eleven, Taiyou included, are already there together with Hakuryuu and Shuu, as well as another team in white and blue…

Tenma freezes when he sees Inazuma Japan. ''Wha- when did they get here?'' he asks with wide eyes.

Haru hums. ''So that's Inazuma Japan, huh…'' he mutters, already knowing them from Tenma's memories. He scans the other teams. ''That's a lot of people,'' he says, his voice trembling slightly.

After a split second of hesitation, Tenma grabs his hand and the world turns black again. As they look over the field, they stare in wonder.

 _ **The dark sky seems to be filled with small lights in all colors of the rainbow, shooting through the air and then disappearing. The players on the field are all figures of colorful light, their bodies shapes of individual, glowing colors. Some of them stand out due to the light being brighter with a core of dark, purplish blue that becomes lighter and turns to different colors.**_

 _ **The glowing forms of the nine players from Inazuma Japan are surrounded by blue, pulsing gently around the colorful fire. Two players of the Raimon stand out due to the blue aura surrounding their glowing bodies, which have a core of dark, purplish blue.**_

''This is amazing,'' whispers Haru in awe as he stares at the scene. ''Those blue auras… are those the Souls?''

The brunet next to him nods. ''I… I think so,'' he whispers. ''And those dark… clouds, they're Keshin…''

They let go and the world turns back to normal. The two share a look. _''We've come this far already,''_ comes Haru's soft, almost inaudible thought. _''I guess we can't turn back now.''_

' _You're- you're right. Let's go.'_

* * *

Shuu has been keeping an eye on the entrance to the field ever since he arrived, knowing that it can't be long before Haru and Tenma arrive. Everyone else is already here and – as far as they know – they're only waiting for the brunet.

The islander bites his lip nervously as he shares a look with Hakuryuu. Hopefully Raimon has calmed down enough to listen, otherwise this could turn real ugly real fast…

''There they are.'' Hakuryuu's soft words break him out of his thoughts, and the dark-haired boy looks up to see a familiar brunet and a slightly less familiar redhead walking towards them.

It seems they're not the only ones who have noticed them, because slowly all conversations cease and all eyes turn to the new arrivals.

Shuu smiles encouragingly when he catches Tenma's gaze and the brunet tentatively smiles back. Their footsteps echo through the silent stadium and once they're in earshot, the two stop simultaneously.

Tenma smiles cautiously at Raimon. ''Hey guys,'' he says, waiting for a reaction. His one eye meets Shindou's brown ones and the ex-captain slowly bows his head slightly, indicating they're willing to listen. The brunet quietly breathes out, his relief mirrored by Haru. ''As you probably already figured out, this is Sakaki Haruki from Kanashimi Jr. High.''

'' _You sure this will work out?''_ asks Haru, even as he bows politely.

He can feel Tenma's hesitation and hope. _'Let's hope it does. At least they're listening to us.'_

''It's nice to meet you,'' says Haru and he straightens again, meeting the eyes of the wavy-haired boy – _'Shindou,'_ supplies Tenma helpfully – without hesitation.

Shindou slowly nods back. ''Likewise,'' he says simply, yet no one is sure if he means it or not.

Before it can turn awkward, Tenma interferes. ''We've got a lot to talk about,'' he states simply. ''It's time we tell you what's been happening lately. _Everything_ that's been happening.'' The truth in his words is impossible to miss and his teammates relax slightly.

The brunet then looks at the players clad in blue and white. ''It's been a while,'' he smiles at them.

Hesitantly, the smile is returned by (some) of the players of Inazuma Japan. ''Yeah…'' agrees Ibuki uneasily, glancing at Haru. ''We've been informed about… Kanashimi,'' he says finally.

That's the moment Endou, who is standing with Kidou and Gouenji, decides to interfere. ''Very well. The other teams will arrive in two hours to continue training,'' he informs the players.

'' _You ready for this, Ten?''_

The brunet falters slightly. _'Ready as I'll ever be.'_

Haru places a hand on his shoulder for a moment. _''Let's get this party started, then.''_

Soon after, they're all sitting on the grass, Tenma and Haru in the middle of the group. The brunet sighs and hesitates. _'Where to start?'_

Suddenly, a wave of determination washes over their link and the redhead sends him a feeling of reassurance. _''I'll start. From there on, we'll just… wing it, I guess.''_

Tenma nods quietly and Haru's orange eye settles on the group in front of him. ''To start by the beginning… everything you've suspected about Kanashimi until now, including and up to illegal human experimenting, is true,'' he states grimly and a wave of shock goes through the group. Before they can react vocally, however, he continues. ''It all started about a year ago, when I was still in the last year of Elementary school.''

His one visible eye becomes cloudy as he remembers the events that brought him to this point. ''My sister, Ayumi, has always had a weak health and therefore spends a lot of time in the hospital. The problem was that my parents couldn't support the hospital bills… until I got a _generous_ offer.'' The word generous is hissed with such venom that it sends shivers down the spines of the listeners. ''I had to go to Kanashimi Jr. High and join the soccer club specifically and all bills would be paid. Of course I knew that something wasn't right, but I couldn't say no. So in the end I accepted, and a few months later I enrolled in Kanashimi Jr. High.''

''Soon…'' the redhead looks down and clenches his fists. ''I'd rather not go into details, but Ishikawa Kazuo and Ishikawa Jirou have been using my teammates and I for their little projects ever since the start of the schoolyear. I don't know why they wanted to use the soccer players specifically for their experiments, but…'' he looks up, his orange eye completely serious. ''A little less than three months ago, they told us we would challenge Raimon and that we had to win, no matter what.'' He shakes his head. ''No, not just win… we had to completely _destroy_ Raimon.''

' _I'll continue from here,'_ comes the soft whisper and Haru shoots the brunet a grateful smile, which doesn't go unnoticed by the listeners.

''We all know what happened during the Kanashimi-Raimon match,'' says Tenma. ''And what happened after, of course. Raimon disbanded. Three weeks after, we met for the first time,'' he explains, thinking back to their first conversation. ''Somehow we ended up talking and we became friends. That's when the first signs that something was wrong showed themselves.''

The brunet frowns as he continues. ''I… started feeling sick. Not normal sick. I'd black out at random moments and have very bad migraines. Eventually, I heard the suspicions about human experimenting. Soon after, Raimon reformed and we started training.''

''That's when I started to feel… weird, as well,'' adds Haru. ''It started with weird flashes and pain… a lot of pain.'' He shudders as he remembers the splitting agony in his head. ''Soon we met up again, and… and soon we found- we figured out that-'' he bites his lip and closes his eyes, clenching his fists at the feeling of helplessness.

Tenma sighs quietly as he looks up at his teammates. If they hesitate any longer, they'll never finish their story, so he decides to just come right out and say it. ''We figured out that the Ishikawa twins weren't just experimenting on Kanashimi players,'' he states finally.

Worried frowns all around the group, but no one who realizes the truth yet. The two friends can basically see the gears in their heads working.

Then Shindou gasps in horror and all eyes are on him, but he can only stare at his young captain. ''Y-you're joking,'' he whispers and his voice breaks.

Tenma shakes his head and the game maker grits his teeth as he punches the ground next to him angrily, to the shock of the other players. Usually the playmaker isn't one to lose his composure so easily. ''Those- those _bastards_ ,'' hisses Raimon's ex-captain furiously. Tenma blinks back tears, touched at the reaction of his older friend.

''Shindou, what's going on?'' asks Ibuki, frowning in confusion at his teammate.

Haru decides to answer, as Tenma and Shindou both seem too emotional to respond correctly. ''The Ishikawa twins base their experimenting on brainwave manipulation,'' he says and all eyes snap to him. ''The experiment they did on me was one to create a mental link between one or more people by tuning their brainwaves. The only one compatible… was Tenma.''

Cries of outrage and horror echo over the field. Endou immediately takes control. ''Everyone calm down!'' reluctantly the noise dies down, and the coach looks at Tenma in concern. ''Tenma… is this true?''

The brunet, after a moment of hesitation, nods.

''Those fucking _monsters_ ,'' hisses Tsurugi, his expression one of terrifying rage. He's not the only one. Most of Raimon's seniors seem ready to commit a murder, while the younger ones look on barely concealed horror. Inazuma Japan is in the same state.

Before they can continue, Tenma continues their story, successfully pulling all the attention back to him and Haru. ''The pain we were feeling was the developing of our mental bond. We could feel flashes of the other's emotions, see through each other's eyes by fierce emotion and, eventually, we started to hear each other's thoughts.'' The horror is now slightly replaced by awe, but it's not entirely gone yet. At least no one seems ready to kill anyone anymore.

''That's when the Ishikawa twins interfered,'' continues Haru. ''The experiment was going well, but we were resisting. They wanted slaves while we were… basically doing whatever we felt like.''

Tenma hits him on the back of his head and the redhead pouts.

Haru then turns serious again. ''They… blackmailed me by threatening to kill all the Kanashimi students. There was a hidden pipe system in the school which could release deadly gas through the entire building in a matter of minutes.'' He looks at Taiyou. ''I'm so sorry for everything I did to you and your team, but I was under orders and if I refused…'' he bows his head in shame and guilt.

Arakumo's captain hesitates, torn between his anger and the obvious guilt the redhead is feeling. He looks at Tenma for a moment and the brunet nods encouragingly. The orange-haired boy sighs and smiles. ''I'm hanging out with Tenma too much…'' he mutters, and Haru's head whips up so fast that it looks like he breaks his neck. ''It's okay, I forgive you. I'd have done the same in your place…''

Haru's orange eye fills with gratefulness. ''Thank you,'' he says honestly and the captain smiles brightly at him. ''What happened then?''

''Well, Raimon found out about Haru and you confronted me,'' says Tenma quietly and the Arakumo player shrinks away in guilt. ''I realized that something was wrong and decides that I needed to be free to figure out what to do. So I left and I went to God Eden.''

This is where Shuu continues. ''Tenma came to me and explained everything, including the fact that Haru-san was blocking their bond,'' he says. ''I decided to help him. We decided that the only good course of action would be to find out more about the situation, seeing as Haru-san is not the kind of person who would be as cruel as he was to the Arakumo team without a good reason. Our only lead was his sister, Ayumi-chan.''

This time, Hakuryuu continues when Shuu takes a pause. ''I soon found the two of them on God Eden and they managed to convince me to help them. We went to the hospital where Sakaki's sister was registered and she managed to figure out that he was probably being blackmailed in some way.''

Haru can't keep the proud look from his face. ''Ayu's always been a genius,'' he mutters, clarifying when the other players look at him in confusion. ''She's twelve.''

''I contacted Haru through our link when we returned to God Eden,'' says Tenma, pulling the attention back to the story. ''He explained to me about the gas system and told me our best chance would be the Kanashimi team. I called their captain, Shimizu-san, and we met up in a small café where we explained the situation,'' tells the brunet. ''They were more than willing to help and the next day, or rather night, we broke into Kanashimi Jr. High to turn off the system without leaving a trace.''

''It worked,'' says Shuu, smiling when Haru and Tenma high-five. ''But… when we went back to God Eden, everything went wrong. Tenma's eye suddenly started bleeding and he was losing too much blood. Our only option was to get him to a hospital, so we did.''

Tenma nods and his teammates, both from Raimon and from Inazuma Japan, look at him worriedly. ''Haru's eye had started bleeding too. Soon after I woke up in the hospital, he told me he overheard the Ishikawa twins, who had intercepted the call to Raimon. They would reach Tokyo in about the same time as Raimon. We couldn't take the risk, so we escaped from the hospital… by jumping out of a window.'' He laughs as he sees the disbelieving expressions on his friends' faces.

Shuu shakes his head good-naturally, a small smile playing on his lips. ''It wasn't that high,'' he reminds Tenma.

Said brunet just shrugs, still smiling cheerfully. ''Soon after, we split up when we were chased by the Ishikawa twins' men,'' he turns serious again as he continues. ''I managed to shake them off and ran into Kurama-senpai and Sangoku-senpai. That's when the experiment completed.''

Sangoku's eyes light up in realization. ''So when you blacked out…''

His captain nods. ''Hai.'' He shares a look with Haru. _'Bandages?'_ he suggests mentally.

The redhead hesitates but then agrees. _''Bandages.''_

Both reach up to take the bandages around their left eyes off and a minute later, two pairs of multicolored eyes are revealed. ''The experiment completed,'' repeats Haru, ''and this was the effect.''

* * *

In a dark, unlit room, a man is sitting behind a desk. In front of him are a bunch of glowing holograms. Sapphire eyes scan the screens as he types something, and another hologram appears. As he reads the text, slowly a wide grin grows on the man's face.

''This is going well…'' he whispers, almost inaudible. ''This is going very, very well.'' His voice is slightly louder and if one listens closely enough, they can hear something strange, something _wrong_ in his tone. ''Not long now and I will have my revenge!'' the sudden shout echoes through the room, followed by crazed laughter.

The laughter is interrupted by a ringtone and the man growls in annoyance. He grabs his phone from his pocket and stands up, walking towards the door of his office. ''Yes?'' he hisses as he leaves the room.

The holograms that are still visible show pictures and statics of certain people.

A boy with brown hair and metallic blue eyes.

The next picture shows a boy with red hair and sparkling, orange eyes.

Another boy, this time with orange hair dull blue orbs.

The next teen has light brown eyes and darker red hair than the second boy.

A teen with navy blue hair and teal eyes.

Another boy with wavy brown hair and chocolate brown eyes.

A pale teen with navy blue hair and orange eyes.

The next boy has pink hair and teal eyes.

Those are only a few of the many files that are shown in one of the holograms, showing names, schools and positions.

The last hologram shows what seems like statics. But the thing that stands out the most, are the red words in the middle of the screen.

 _Project_ _ **Distraction Clones**_ _completed: 78%_

* * *

 **And that was it. Wow, 8000 words! Not bad, huh?**

 **Hope you enjoyed!**

 **We learn a little more about Jirou's hesitation. Not such a bad guy anymore, huh? And a bit more about the experiment... 'auras' and 'spiritual energy' (don't ask me where I got it from, I don't know myself). We finally met Haru's parents, as well... By the way, Raimon's real reactions about the experiment will come next chapter~ oh, and what is it at the end? Something with clones…?**

 **Not many chapters left, now!**

 **Please let me know what you think of this chapter in the reviews~! I love reviews, they give me inspiration (but I think that basically every writer likes reviews… they're like cookies. Like when you do something good, you get a cookie. I think a lot of people like cookies. Though I'm sure not everyone likes cookies, but most people do – might be because there are a lot of different cookies. I mostly like sweet cookies, though~! But back to the topic at hand- reviews. I like reviews, because they are like cookies. They're a reward for the writer when they put their whole hearts into the story). Yes people, I am basically stalling this Author's Note. Why? Because, I only need about two hundred more words (yes I wrote two hundred and not 200 on purpose) before my story will officially have 100,000 words. Let me be people, let me be~!**

 **Let's see… what's an easy way to write a little less than 200 words without sounding like a lunatic?**

 **Cookie, cookie, cookie, cookie, cookie, cookie, cookie, cookie, cookie, cookie, cookie, cookie, cookie, cookie, cookie, cookie, cookie, cookie, cookie, cookie - THIS IS GETTING BORING HOW MANY COOKIES DO I HAVE - cookie, cookie, cookie, cookie, cookie, cookie, cookie, cookie, cookie, cookie, cookie, cookie, cookie – LET'S CONTINUE IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES - biskotë, cookiean, cookiean, печыва, kolačić, курабийка, galeta, kolačić, koláček, koekje, küpsis, pikkuleipä, biscuit, biscoito, Plätzchen, κουλουράκι, aprósütemény, kex, fianán, biscotto, cepums, sausainis, колаче, cookie, cookie, ciastko, bolacha, fursec, печенье, колачић, koláčik, piškotek, galleta – WAIT THIS IS SPANISH I ALREADY WROTE SPANISH- OH WAIT THAT WAS DANISH SORRY GUYS, MY MISTAKE – kaka, печиво, cwci, קיכל…**

 **Enough cookies for everyone who reviews? Hm? Can this get a review out of you? I've seen writers do this before… but I don't think digital cookies mean much.**

 **Yes people, I am so obsessed with reviews and exactly 100,000 words that I'm sounding like I'm crazy-**

 ** _Wait. I am crazy._**

 **Am I?**

 ** _Hold on. I need to talk to myself about this._**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **What, I had a bad day!**

 **\- Yara Meijer**


	23. Start of a New Game

**Hello readers! I am back with the new, and not to mention FINAL, chapter of Stand!**

 **Yes, the final chapter. After four hundred and three days, it is finally finished. All my hard work has finally ended now, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart to have stuck up with me for all these months.**

 **Let's get onto the reviews!**

 _ **seshhxkagii99:**_ **Well, here it is! Glad you liked the last chapter… please enjoy this, because I put all my writing skills into creating a good ending!**

 _ **Coco Baldwin:**_ **Now's the next, and final, chapter~! Glad you liked it, and thank you for your continued support!**

 _ **Guest:**_ **I feel kind of bad to tell you this is the final chapter… but soon, the sequel will come out… Yes, I'm glad Tenma's finally telling the truth too:)**

 _ **Frwt:**_ **Glad you liked it!**

 _ **IegBestfriend:**_ **Wow wow wow, no need to get so worked up! ;) I don't mind requests, actually, I like them. Well… maybe you didn't send a request, but I did use your ideas as inspiration for my new story. I'm not sure what I will name it yet, but you can find the details on my profile. Glad to know your grades are good… hahaha, physics, my worst subject (cries in a corner). You're writing a fanfic? What's your account name? Hmm… I've seen Danball Senki, but I just couldn't find the inspiration to watch Wars as well. But I've seen the movie and I know the characters, so I'm not completely clueless (cheers from her corner). I'll try to rewrite, IF I can find your account… so what's your name? (Chuckles sheepishly from her corner). Hmm, copying stories isn't so easy, don't worry. Oh, you can't write the name of sites here. Very annoying, I know. But seriously, copying stories isn't easy. If one of mine got copied and I found out… well, I'd congratulate the copiers on having good taste! XD And then I'd probably report it, if other people hadn't already. Really, there are a lot of people on this site who aren't very happy with 'cheaters' as you call them, and personally I've only seen one copied story before, where a few elements were changed. It was reported more than once, if I remember correctly. So honestly, don't be so worried about your story getting copied, it doesn't happen all that much~**

 _ **Guest:**_ **JESUS CHRIST THAT'S ONE LONG REVIEW O.O …um, sorry to disappoint, nope I'm not a science student. I'm just in High School, and I've got a very weird, very… creative mind XD seriously I surprise myself with my ideas! So… Many… Cookies… Sadly, my parents don't like cookies all that much so I don't know a lot of different kinds, but I absolute LOVE chocolate chip cookies! They're heavenly! And then there are those other cookies… we call them 'grandma cookies' since my grandma always bought them for us XD They're really really really tasty, with chocolate on top and with some kind of orange… stuff in it. It's incredible. I can't explain it in English, sorry. Jus trust me when I say they're taste… but sadly, the super markets in my town don't sell them anymore so it's been literally years since I last ate them -_- and they're my favorite cookies at that! Distraction clones is something you'll read about somewhere at the end of the sequel… seriously, the end. Some of the last chapters. The end. Literally. You had a bad day too? Poor you… we can go cry in my corner together? Hahaha, just kidding~ I'm glad you liked my logic, I hope it wasn't too confusing? Yes, if you've read my stories, you should know I ALWAYS leave cliffhangers B) Jep, Jirou;'s not so bad. I think you'll like him in this chapter. Well, about Kazou's revenge… one thing, he's INSANE. Insane, I tell you… and I can promise you that there's more to it than you learn in this chapter as well. Those holograms… *evil chuckles* it's gonna be so awesome… are you a police officer, with your interrogations? XD Hahaha, well, chapters till the sequel… only one, and that's this one. The name of the sequel will be written at the end of the chapter. If you think 8000 words is incredible? This one's over 9000. Yeah. Had to end it with a bang, didn't I? I'm your inspiration? *Blushes* I'm glad to hear that. You know, only a year ago, I was the one who was just a first-time writer with big dreams and a weak story. And now… I honestly can't believe I've come this far. I'm really, really happy for all the support I've gotten from all the amazing people here. So, good luck with your fanfiction! What's your account name? Then I can check it out~ Longest review? Um… for this story, yes, definitely. For all my stories, nope, I checked. Lotus Sword's review on Living Shadow is 517 words, yours is 373, so that's not bad either! I'm sure you can find SOMETHING to review about if you want to have the longest review of all… so, I wish you the best of luck with your quest~ *thumbs up*** **Anyway, I'll let you (finally) go onto the chapter now, I hope you enjoy it! I did my best writing it, since it's the finale and it should end with a bang and all… let me know what you think in the reviews, 'kay?**

 _ **R:**_ **Hahaha, new chappies make me happy as well~!**

 _ **mikan26:**_ **Well, here are their reactions… hope you enjoy it! Glad you liked the chapter, here's the next (and the final)!**

 _ **MatsukazeTenma8:**_ **Hahaha, glad you liked it~ ahaha, about the formal English… you're probably right, but MY formal English is quite bad, so that's the reason… sorry… hahaha I'll write for Time Twins once I get more inspiration! I'm working on a lot of different stories right now (you can find a list on my profile of everything I'm working on if you want details) so I'll write once I feel like it~**

 _ **Anime Brony:**_ ***Sweatdrops* wow… glad you like it?**

 _ **Crazy-chan707:**_ **Someone likes clones here… here's the next, final chapter of Stand~! Hope you like it~**

 _ **Newtimesroman:**_ **Glad to know you enjoy it so much, here's the next chappie~!**

 _ **NoLife-sama:**_ **You think this is awesome? Thank you so much! It's accurate, really? Often I find myself thinking that's it's not good, actually. Tenma's way too OOC in my opinion… at least I'm glad you're interested in other characters as well :) Hahaha, I'm so happy to hear you like it! I was quite uncertain about the plot when I started out, and the emotional moments? They are the hardest of all! Glad you like Haru as well XD I hope you enjoy this, and the sequel, just as much as the last chapter! Thanks for your review!**

 **Well guys, that's it for the reviews. There were so many! Thank you guys so much!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own, except for my OCs**

 **I guess… here we go, huh?**

* * *

 _The laughter is interrupted by a ringtone and the man growls in annoyance. He grabs his phone from his pocket and stands up, walking towards the door of his office. ''Yes?'' he hisses as he leaves the room._

 _The holograms that are still visible show pictures and statics of certain people._

 _A boy with brown hair and metallic blue eyes._

 _The next picture shows a boy with red hair and sparkling, orange eyes._

 _Another boy, this time with orange hair and dull blue orbs._

 _The next teen has light brown eyes and darker red hair than the second boy._

 _A teen with navy blue hair and teal eyes._

 _Another boy with wavy brown hair and chocolate brown eyes._

 _A pale teen with navy blue hair and orange eyes._

 _The next boy has pink hair and teal eyes._

 _Those are only a few of the many files that are shown in one of the holograms, showing names, schools and positions._

 _The last hologram shows what seems like statics. But the thing that stands out the most, are the red words in the middle of the screen._

Project **Distraction Clones** completed: 78%

* * *

'' _What is the meaning of this?!'' the two fifteen-year-old boys flinch back with wide, shocked eyes at the angry hiss. A tall man is standing in front of them, stray locks escaping his usually neat bond hair. His eyes behind the glasses are narrowed in a disdained glare filled with sapphire fire._

 _A woman with sky blue hair and warm pink eyes grabs his arms. ''Calm down, dear,'' she says sternly._

 _The man turns his glare on her. ''Out of the way, Yoko! They need to be taught a lesson!'' he gestures sharply at the two identical boys._

 _The woman, Yoko, shakes her head. ''You are being completely unreasonable, Iwao!'' she says, pink eyes narrowing to a glare._

 _Iwao seems to calm down. ''Yes, you're right,'' he says smoothly, surprising the woman. ''I'm sorry,'' he smiles at the blue-haired beauty. ''You should go now, sweetheart. It wouldn't do to keep your clients waiting.''_

 _Yoko narrows her eyes suspiciously but then nods. ''You're right, I suppose.'' She sighs and makes her way to the two boys. ''Hey, don't be to down okay?'' she asks with a smile. ''See you tonight.''_

'' _Bye mom,'' chorus the boys and with a chuckle she leaves._

 _The moments they hear the car drive away, Iwao's glare is back. ''How could this happen?'' he asks calmly, but there is a furious undertone in his voice._

 _The boys share a look, and one of them steps forward. ''Father-''_

'' _Don't go making up excuses! I never should've let you join that pathetic soccer team!'' his sapphire eyes seem to glow sickly in the weak light of the hallway. ''No son of mine will ever lose. If you can't be the best, you won't play at all.'' He turns around to leave, but is stopped by a voice._

'' _But dad!'' protests the boy who was silent before. ''That's so unfair! They're the best in the country-''_

 _Iwao's ice cold gaze meets the identical yet warmer blue eyes of his son. The other son tries to console him when he sees the predatory look in his father's eyes. ''Please father, we'll do what you want,'' he says calmly._

 _His brother watches with wide eyes. ''But Nii-san!'' he protests. ''Dad, please-!''_

 _Iwao's nostrils flare angrily as he steps forward, raising a hand to slap his son. The other boy jumps in front of his younger brother immediately. ''Jirou!'' Iwao harshly brings his head down upon the boy's face._

'' _Nii-san!'' cries Jirou as he falls to the ground next to his fallen brother._

 _Iwao stalks away, not looking back as he speaks. ''I am very disappointed in you, Jirou, Kazuo.'' With that he leaves the two brothers on their own._

'' _Oh my god, Nii-san, are you okay?! I'm so sorry! Does it hurt?'' Jirou panicks._

 _Kazuo smiles at the younger and raises a hand to pat the soft, sky blue hair. ''I'm fine, Jirou,'' he mutters as he sits up. ''No need to be so worried.''_

 _Jirou just looks down sadly. ''I-I'm sorry, Nii-san-''_

''Don't _call me brother!''_

 _The younger flinches back at the furious tone, wondering if his father has come back. When he looks up, his eyes widen at the sight of an older Kazuo, looking almost the same as Iwao just moments before. The fifteen-year-old tries to move back from the hateful sapphire gaze, but suddenly he's held up by his neck, feet bungling in the air, and he can't breathe-!_

'' _You weak, filthy, pathetic excuse for a brother,'' spats the twenty-year-old Kazuo. ''You can't do anything right, can you? You always hide behind me, you always let me take the hits! You always leave me on my own to take the fall!''_

 _Suddenly Jirou's can breathe again and he falls to the ground like a sack of potatoes. He glances up, wondering what happened to his brother._

 _Kazuo is standing above him, the hallway behind him being engulfed by darkness that casts his face in shadows, except for his eyes, which seem to glow with a feral animosity. ''I hate you.''_

 _The voice is low and soft, almost inaudibly, but Jirou still feels like the air is knocked out of him again. He can only stare at the form of his older brother, his body and mind numb as the words play over and over again in his ears._

 _I hate you._

 _I hate you._

 _I hate you._

 _And then there is pain, and angry shouts, and Jirou curls up as he feels someone kick him in the stomach. He raises his arms to protect his head and someone kicks his shoulder, his arm, his side._

 _After what feels like an eternity he pries his eyes open. He's still surrounded by darkness but he pays no mind to that as he looks at his attacker._

 _Ferocious, sapphire blue eyes shining in mirth and bloodlust. One look at those ice cold orbs tells Jirou everything he needs to know-_

This man will kill him.

'' _Fa- father?'' he stutters out, and the man grins. His eyes are glowing but the rest of his face is hidden in shadows._

 _After a harsh kick to his stomach, Jirou gasps and clenches his eyes shut on instinct. He forces them open again and looks up at his father-_

 _At his brother._

The man shoots up, panting heavily.

Sapphire blue eyes are wide as they shoot around the room, desperately trying to spot the glowing, hateful eyes of his-

Jirou stills when he notices he's in his office at the Kanashimi soccer club. He is sitting at his desk in the empty room, completely alone.

''A- a dream?'' his voice cracks as the young man buries his head in his hands. A breathless laugh escapes him. ''Oh my god,'' he laughs. ''Just- just a dream. It was _just_ a dream…'' disbelief colors his voice and he stares at his desk.

Small droplets of water fall on the wood, but Jirou doesn't react to the tears that are falling from his eyes. ''J-just a dream…''

It's not true.

He _knows_ it's not true. That dream… it wasn't a dream, it wasn't a nightmare. It was a mix of memories. Real events.

His laughter turns into sobs. ''My god,'' he gasps. ''Oh my god…''

The coach clenches his eyes shut as years' worth of memories enter his mind, memories he's tried to shut out for so long.

 _His father's anger. How the man became violent with every mistake they made._

 _Mother's helpless fury, fully aware that she'd lose in court if she tried to do something against her husband._

 _Kazuo's faked smiles and hopeful words, trying to keep him going every single day. The hope that eventually left his eyes as years passed. How he seemed to turn into his father at times._

 _Running over a field, the wind through his hair, hearing the laughter echo in his ears._

Jirou opens his eyes, the chaos in his mind having been replaced by calm. He breathes out slowly. ''Mother was right,'' he whispers to the silence in the room. ''Nii-san… Kazuo… he's wrong.''

It hurts him to admit the truth he has ignored for so long, but somehow it feels right as well. Because, no matter how much he wanted to deny it, somewhere in his mind he's always known that his brother is mentally unstable.

And, he realizes, that instability will eventually lead to death. Whose is not clear – maybe his own, maybe Kazuo's, maybe someone else's.

''I never wanted this,'' he whispers. ''I never wanted it to get this far… how could I have been so stupid?''

Sapphire eyes burn with a determined fire as the man stands up, his mind made up. He takes a deep breath to calm his nerves as he makes his way to the door of his office. ''Sorry, Kazuo,'' he whispers to the silence. ''It seems I can't keep my promise after all.''

* * *

''How…?''

Shindou is speechless as he stares at the two boys. His mind is racing- something like this shouldn't be possible. This is _Tenma_ , Raimon's captain, Raimon's light, and yet- and yet…

He can feel his defenses crumbling as he stares at the young brunet, who has gone through so much things _on his own_. The game maker buries his face in his hands and tries to calm his breathing, tries to calm his mind to-

To do what?

What can he possibly do? Because, Shindou realizes, pained by the thought, he has failed his younger friend. No matter what anyone says…

Raimon has failed their precious captain too many times to count.

First during the Kanashimi match. They were angry at him him, heck, they _blamed_ him for everything that happened! And then, if it wasn't enough, they abandoned him. They left him alone, as if they didn't know him-

 _But they had all known how much it would affect him._

No matter how much Shindou wishes it was different, he knows. He _knows_ that Tenma was hurt when Alpha wiped their memories of soccer, they all know how much it _terrified_ Tenma to be utterly and completely _alone._

And yet they left him again, forcing him to rely on others- and oh god, how grateful Shindou is that someone was there to pick up the pieces when Raimon, when _Shindou_ wasn't there to do so.

They found out about Sakaki Haruki, and if everything that happened before wasn't enough, it almost went completely wrong… _almost_. Until it did go wrong, and Tenma left, searching help from Shuu – not from his friends from Raimon, not from Earth Eleven, no, because they failed him.

And now they finally know how much they really messed up. The information fits together like the pieces of a puzzle, falling into place even if Shindou wishes them to stay where they are, because he do _esn't need to know how much he failed his captain._

A hesitant voice breaks him out of his thoughts.

''Shindou-san?''

The game maker doesn't physically react, but his thoughts halt immediately.

After a moment of silence, Tenma continues. ''I-it's not your fault, you know,'' he says softly.

Shindou's head whips up in disbelief and he stares at the captain, completely speechless. He stares into the brunet's multi-colored eyes, searching for anything- blame, anger, hatred, _anything._

''How- how can you say that?'' whispers Shindou once he doesn't see anything of the sort. At Tenma's confused expression, the game maker bites his lip and hangs his head so that his expression is hidden from view. ''We failed you.'' His voice cracks.

''What?'' Tenma is honestly confused as he stares at the ex-captain. After a moment he lets his eyes dart around the group, watching the guilty, pained, shocked and angry faces of his teammates.

''He's right.'' A soft voice catches his attention and Tenma's blueish grey eyes meet orange.

The other boy's hands are trembling, but his face is mostly blank except for the furrowed brows. Yet his orange orbs show more than words ever could. Guilt, fury, sadness, fear, _pain._

''We did fail you,'' continues the forward softly. ''We blamed you, we abandoned you, we forced you to leave. We weren't there when you really needed us. We failed you.'' His voice cracks and Tsurugi lowers his head, gritting his teeth.

Tenma stares at him in shock. ''T-Tsurugi…'' he looks around the group, their eyes telling him all he needed to know. The brunet bites his lip, forcing the wave of emotions down as he lowers his gaze. ''I-it wasn't your fault,'' he whispers again. ''It's fine.''

''It's not fine,'' denies Kariya immediately. ''You're bad at lying.''

Kirino slaps him on the head but turns to Tenma all the same. ''We know you,'' he says softly.

''And we know you won't take something like that lightly,'' adds Hamano.

Tenma balls his fists, Haru looking on worriedly at the storm of emotions racing through their bond. ''Really guys, it's nothing to worry about,'' whispers the captain, not meeting any of their eyes. ''It's okay. I'm okay.'' No one is sure who he's trying to convince, himself or his friends.

''You're not okay,'' whispers Shindou and he shakes his head. _''We're_ not okay.''

Without his permission, tears start falling down Tenma's cheeks, yet his expression is hidden by his bangs.

Haru next to him grabs his hand, the colors of their surroundings reversing. _''How can you possibly do this? This is so dramatic,''_ he comments, slightly awed. _''It's like watching a live soap opera.''_

Tenma chuckles through his sobs, surprising his friends at the sudden smile appearing on his face. ''Haru!'' he laughs, pushing the redhead playfully.

Said redhead chuckles sheepishly. ''Sorry, sorry,'' he grins. ''It's not my fault you can read my thoughts.'' And then, mentally, _''and it's not my fault your life comes right out of a TV show.''_

''Hey!'' protests Tenma, pouting slightly.

The red-haired boy simply grins. ''You know, Tenma, they do have a point,'' he says, surprising the brunet, who blinks in confusion. ''You're really bad at lying.'' He ignores Tenma's protests and instead looks at Raimon. ''Okay, so let's say it was your fault. What're you gonna do about it?''

Raimon is surprised by his question, but once they get over the initial shock they seem to seriously consider it. ''We'll never let anything like this happen again,'' states Shindou eventually.

Kirino nods in agreement. ''We'll always be there for each other.'' He smiles at his teammates.

His smile is returned by all of them. ''Raimon is a team!'' beams Shinsuke. ''A family!''

A fresh wave of tears makes its way down Tenma's face. ''Guys…'' he whispers, stunned.

''A family, huh?'' repeats Sangoku, smiling at the younger keeper. ''I like it.''

His friends nod in agreement and Shindou looks at Tenma again, his smile softening. ''And we protect our family,'' he says softly. ''Everything will be fine.''

For a moment, Tenma just stares at him and his other friends, family, and then smiles brightly as he wipes his tears away. ''Hai!'' he agrees, his grin turning into a warm smile. ''After all, everything will work out somehow!''

''Agreed,'' says Kurama, a relaxed smile playing on his face as he looks around as his teammates.

''Your eyes are going to take some getting used to, though…'' comments Sangoku, his smile shrinking slightly as he looks at the multi-colored orbs of his young captain.

Tenma hesitates to say something but he doesn't have to, for Hikaru beats him to it. ''I think it looks awesome!'' declares the purple haired boy. The other first years, except for Tsurugi, immediately agree with him and Tenma smiles gratefully at them.

While this goes down, the older soccer players share looks. Even without words, they understand the message each of them has on their mind.

 _The ones responsible for this will regret they ever messed with Raimon._

No one needs to speak, for they are all on the same line. They might've failed him before, but now they'll do anything to protect their precious captain.

After all, no one messes with one of their own and gets away with it.

* * *

''Everyone, grab your stuff,'' orders Jirou the moment he enters the clubroom, surprising the soccer players. With practiced ease he counts the teenagers, nodding to himself when he sees that only one of them is missing.

''Coach Ishikawa?'' Shimizu looks stunned, not that it's so surprising at the sudden command.

The coach's eyes flicker to him. ''We don't have much time,'' he says, gesturing for them to get on with it. He can see their eyes filled with questions- _we don't have much time for what?_ –but one look at his sapphire orbs tell them he's more serious than ever before, and they follow his orders without question.

Jirou watches them gather their things and sighs, absentmindedly rubbing his wrist. He glances down at it, mentally cringing at the dark, hand shaped bruise that can be seen. It's the same wrist his brother- the same wrist _Kazuo_ grabbed only the day before, after his 'anger attack' before they made their way to Tokyo. _'Has it really only been a day and a half since then?_ ' wonders Jirou. _'How my mind changed in those mere hours…'_

Soon after, they've all got their stuff and are gathered in front of the coach. Shimizu takes the lead, being the captain. ''We are ready, coach. What now?''

Jirou nods in approval. ''Good. We'll go to the bus now,'' he informs them, swiftly making his way out of the clubroom and in the direction of the soccer bus after making sure the players are following him. _'Am I doing the right thing?'_ he asks himself, but soon shakes off the thought. _'I don't have a choice. If I don't do something, this whole mess will become even worse.'_

They reach the bus and five minutes later, everyone is sitting inside it as Jirou starts the engine. ''No questions until I say so,'' he informs them. ''I need to concentrate.''

The teenagers share suspicious and questioning glances but follow his command anyway, for which the coach is thankful. Being distracted by noisy teenagers is the last thing he needs right now.

He easily shuts down the cameras inside the bus, having installed them himself, as the bus rides through the streets and soon leaves the town behind, the houses being replaced by trees.

He breathes a sigh of relief he didn't know he was holding and looks in the mirror at the teenagers behind him. ''You can ask now,'' he informs them simply.

They look at each other and then at the coach. Eventually the pink-haired manager speaks up. ''What's going on?''

Jirou tightens his grip on the wheel. ''Honestly, I'm not quite sure myself,'' he says truthfully. ''You could say my eyes are finally opened now.'' He chuckles to himself.

Shimizu frowns as he hesitantly voices his question. ''What do you mean, your eyes are opened?'' he asks suspiciously.

The blue-haired man breathes out slowly, keeping his eyes on the road. ''I owe you all an apology,'' he says finally. ''I know it's not enough, but it's the only thing I've got right now.'' He relaxes his grip. ''For everything, I'm sorry. For everything I've done to you.'' He can see their shocked faces in the mirror and his determination doubles. ''But not anymore. I'm taking you away from Kazuo.''

''What the hell is goin' on?'' questions Ueno. ''You're not making any sense at all, bastard!''

''Ueno!'' hisses Shimizu, glancing at the coach worriedly.

His eyes widen when said coach chuckles dryly. ''It's fine, Shimizu,'' he says. ''Your cousin has the right to insult me, after everything I've done.'' He sighs. ''Kazuo is the one who came up with everything,'' he says finally. ''The plans for the school, the experiment, everything. Of course I knew, deep inside, that what he did was wrong, but I ignored it since I couldn't face the truth.'' He smiles ruefully. ''Couldn't face the fact that my brother is a psychopath.''

''So, instead of stopping him like I should've done, I went along with it.'' He sighs and runs a hand through his hair tiredly. ''I have no excuses for that. I'm just as guilty as Kazuo, I won't deny it, but I'm not going to run away anymore.'' His sapphire eyes meet those of the teenagers in the mirror. ''I'm going to stop Kazuo, if it's the last thing I do.''

''W-what?'' stutters Shimizu. ''Coach, what do you mean?''

Jirou closes his eyes for a split second but then focuses on the road again. ''We're going to Raimon,'' he tells them. ''There you'll be safe. I'm going to turn myself in and tell Raimon everything I know. I'm going to make sure you are all safe, and then we'll see what happens.''

''Why?'' Hitomi's voice is but a whisper, tears gathering in her reddish pink eyes. ''Why would you do this now? Why…?'' her voice breaks.

The coach bites his lip and breathes out slowly. ''My father's name was Ishikawa Iwao,'' he tells the teenagers quietly. ''He was a doctor, a good one at that. He… he was a perfectionist.'' The players share confused looks at the sudden turn but listen anyway. ''And I mean a real perfectionist. Kazuo and I were always supposed to get top grades, to look our best, be polite, be the favorite of everyone… we had to be perfect.''

A sad smile appears on his face. ''We both loved soccer a lot, and, after begging for weeks and weeks on end, father finally allowed us to join the club, as long as we were the best.''

He pauses and the players share a look. ''Then what happened?'' asks Mizuno quietly.

Jirou's grip on the wheel tightens. ''Then we faced Raimon and we lost.'' His eyes are filled with sorrow at the memories. ''Our father was very angry. My mother, Ishikawa Yoko, tried to calm him down but she was a busy woman and was away from home a lot. Father… he was not just angry, he was furious and he… turned violent.''

''Violent?'' Hitomi's voice is clipped in worry. ''Do you- do you mean abuse?''

The coach nods. ''Exactly. Kazuo, as my older brother, has always been protective of me. He also was the smarter one while I was the more reckless child.'' He chuckles softly. ''Due to my behavior, I got in trouble with father more often and he'd take his anger out on me. But Kazuo didn't allow that, and always shielded me if he could. Always told me to stay strong, to have hope.''

Shimizu frowns, that doesn't sound like their director at all. ''What happened next?'' he asks, swallowing harshly at the story. Whatever reason he was expecting to hear, it wasn't this.

Jirou shakes his head. ''I don't know,'' he admits. ''Kazuo… changed. He became colder, more calculating, and yet he loved me the same as he'd always done. And because of that, I didn't want to admit the truth… my brother is mentally unstable. I've known it for years, yet I acted like I was blind to it.''

He sighs. ''When we were eighteen, my father died, just before our graduation. Kazuo and I became scientists and everything was fine for a while, but my brother… became worse. He was consumed by rage, by the unfairness of everything that happened to us. He wanted revenge.''

Mizuno catches on at this point. ''And since your father was dead, he sought another source to blame.''

Jirou nods. ''Exactly. He wanted to blame me, yet he couldn't stop loving me, so he went for the next best thing. Raimon.''

''That's why we had to play against them,'' whispers Shimizu, understanding dawning on him. ''The score…''

''Was intentional,'' mutters the coach. ''136. The thirteenth of June, the day we had our match against Raimon all those years ago.'' He wipes a stray lock of blue hair behind his ear. ''Kazuo went crazy with his thirst for revenge, and, well… Kanashimi was created. While our scientific research started to turn dark, we searched for players from all over Japan with good skills.''

''And that's where we came in,'' mutters Akemi.

Jirou looks at the pink-haired girl for a moment and then nods in agreement. ''Precisely. Kazuo wanted to make sure that Raimon would be completely destroyed, while we were still researching the human mind and memories, and somehow… we ended up with the experimenting. Of course I was against it, but I was caught up in Kazuo's lies.'' He shakes his head. ''The biggest mistake I've ever made.''

The bus is silent as everyone progresses the new information. Jirou scans the faces of the teenagers and forces his hesitation away. ''I've realized it now. A lot of things happened, and I can't run away from the truth anymore.''

''What happened?'' questions Mizuno, wanting to get all the information he can.

Jirou really doesn't want to answer, but he knows they have a right to know the truth. ''Various things. You know, Sakaki's sister… she's a smart girl for her age,'' he chuckles. ''I think she knows more than she lets on. While we were on our way to pick up Sakaki, she said a few things to me… never knew a young girl would be able to mess up everything I thought was true so much.''

There are a few tentative smiles as the players finally start to relax. Yet, one of them narrows his eyes at the coach. ''You said various things,'' points Ueno out.

The coach nods. ''I did.'' He bites his lower lip as he gathers his courage, forcing himself to continue. ''Kazuo is mentally unstable, and he's taking after our father more than I'd like to admit.'' At the confused looks, he explains. ''He's… abusive.''

Abusive. While the young man knows it's true, he's never wanted to admit it that his beloved older brother would do something like that. Yet he cannot face the truth while holding onto lies.

''Abusive?!'' is the general reaction.

The adult nods. ''Not as often as our father, but still often enough.''

''Explain,'' orders Ueno with narrowed eyes.

Jirou rolls his eyes at him. ''Just yesterday he tried to strangle me. Abusive enough?'' he questions dryly.

''W-what?'' at the shocked whisper from the captain and the shocked looks from the other players, Jirou forces himself to look at the road again. That's why Shimizu's next question comes completely unexpected. ''Are you okay?''

The man blinks and looks in the mirror at the boy in disbelief. ''You do realize I am one of the people who made your life a living hell, right?'' he asks, and the captain nods. ''You have no reason to be worried.''

Shimizu shrugs as they enter Inazuma Town. ''Well… I'm angry,'' he admits. ''But I don't think you're a bad person. Not anymore.''

Jirou smiles his first real smile of the day. ''Thank you,'' he says sincerely and then answers the question. ''Except for a few bruises here and there, I'm okay,'' he reassures them as the bus stops. ''We're here.''

Paradise Stadium.

* * *

To say the other teams had a shock when they arrived is an understatement. Not that it's so shocking, considering that a Kanashimi player is calmly talking with Raimon's supposed-to-be-missing captain.

''What is going on here?'' asks Fubuki perplexed, Hakuren joining the other teams in gaping at the completely relaxed yet incredibly strange scene before them.

Coach Housuiin from Genei Academy shakes his head. ''I don't even want to know,'' he grumbles. ''I've given up on understanding them the moment I laid eyes on them.''

Mahoro grins at his coach. ''Need a drink, coach?''

The man glares at him. ''You brat.''

''Just make sure you don't become too drunk,'' warns the redheaded captain seriously. ''Wouldn't want you to have to cancel a match or something.''

Housuiin's eye twitches. ''One more word and you can run fifty laps around the field.'' Mahoro wisely shuts up and the coach grins smugly.

Meanwhile, Endou has noticed the new arrivals and grins. ''Yo! Ready to play soccer, everyone?''

Afuro manages to get himself under control and closes his mouth that had fallen open in shock. ''Endou… can you explain… this?'' Kidokawa Seishuu's coach gestures to the field in general.

Kidou is the one who answers the question, not looking up from his clipboard. ''Long story. Turns out everything we've suspected about Kanashimi is true.'' He nods in the direction of Tenma and Haru. ''Sakaki's on our side.''

The coaches glance at each other and then at the completely relaxed ex-Raimon students. Deciding they're not going to ask, they instead order their teams to start training. ''We don't know what Kanashimi is going to do now,'' explains Gouenji to the teams, who are gathered in front of him. ''They've already played against Raimon and Arakumo, and we can assume that they played against Arakumo the way they did due to their involvement with Raimon, is that correct?'' he looks at the only Kanashimi player present.

Haru nods, cringing slightly at the cold looks from Arakumo. They're still angry about what happened during the match, even though Taiyou reassured them the redhead didn't have a choice. ''That's right,'' says the Kanashimi player, shrinking back slightly under the stares. ''I don't know what they're planning, but they did tell us before the match that we had to fix the score and crush our opponents because of their connection with Raimon.''

Gouenji frowns slightly in understanding. ''Is it correct to assume that they'll attack any of the other teams present here?''

The midfielder bites his lip as he thinks about the question. Eventually he sighs and shakes his head in frustration. ''I don't know, but… it's definitely a possibility.'' The other teams fidget in agitation.

''How do we know you're not lying?'' asks a voice suddenly. Mikado, captain of Teikoku, pushes his way to the front of the group. ''You could tell us this so that we stop our attempt to help Raimon,'' he accuses.

The redhead stutters out an answer. ''I- I'm not-''

''Stand down, Mikado,'' says Kidou suddenly, and coach and captain have a staring contest for a few seconds until Mikado backs down. ''Your worries are not unfounded, but they are unneeded,'' says Teikoku's commander. ''We have received proof that Sakaki's words can be trusted.''

Endou decides to take charge before the situation can get out of hand. ''Anyone else who wants to say something?'' when the teenagers stay silent, Raimon's coach nods. ''Okay, then we'll start training now. Your coaches will inform you about the training schedules.''

* * *

Ishikawa Kazuo's eyes narrow in disdain as he looks at the hologram that shows the Kanashimi bus. The man is sitting in his office at Kanashimi Jr. High, glaring at the screen in front of him.

''Fuck you,'' he hisses furiously, eyes seemingly glowing in the dark room. ''Fuck you, Jirou!''

His hands are shaking in rage, his eyes blazing with raging flames yet the man forces himself to stay calm, instead typing on the keyboard. Two more holograms appear, and the man relaxes slightly as he reads the words on the screen.

 _Project_ _ **Distraction Clones**_ _completed: 81%_

He bites his lower lip, fighting the smile that is threatening to appear on his face. Instead, he turns towards the second hologram and scans the words that are written on it. He can't fight the grin anymore as he reads the words on the screen.

 _Project_ _ **Repressing**_ _completed: 98%_

''Voice command, code: 00831,'' commands the sky blue-haired man to the silent room, adjusting his glasses.

Suddenly, lights flicker on that were hidden before. A cold, greenish blue light fills the room, giving everything a strange glow as a metallic voice echoes through the office. _''Command 00831 activated,''_ speaks the robotic voice.

Kazuo grins. ''Unlock training center, code 592, voice recognition,'' he speaks steadily. ''Ishikawa inheritance, code B-0991, complete control.''

'' _Recognized Ishikawa Kazuo, giving complete control. Unlocking training center,''_ speaks the voice.

The director isn't fazed in the least as the ground begins to shake uncontrollably. Instead, he waits until the shaking and loud buzzing stops before he speaks again. ''Office lock in three minutes,'' he says, a beep resounding through the air as a red light on his desk flickers on. ''Self destruction in ten minutes.''

Another beep sounds, followed by the metallic voice. _''Countdown starts now.''_ The voice then proceeds to count down the seconds as Kazuo turns off the holograms and grabs his suitcase. After casting a look around the room, he stands up and makes his way towards the door of the office. _''Office lock in ten seconds.''_ He leaves the room, hearing how the door behind him closes and automatically locks, a second door made of heavy metal sliding in front of it.

The man makes his way through the halls of the abandoned school and soon makes his way out of the exit and towards the pristine white car waiting in front of the building. He sits down behind the wheel and starts the engine, leaving the school without looking back.

After a few minutes of driving, he suddenly hears a loud boom coming from behind him and the ground beneath the car shakes. A wide grin spreads across his face as he sees flames rise up in the sky behind him, where the Kanashimi Jr. High school used to stand.

''It seems that things are moving faster than expected.'' His wicked grin widens and his eyes spakle in sick pleasure. ''Not that I mind,'' he whispers.

No…

He doesn't mind at all.

* * *

The teams are in the middle of practice when they are shocked by the sudden arrival of thirteen people. Ten of them are wearing the same white and light grey jerseys, with a little light blue lotus flower on it, the two only females are both wearing a school uniform with white blouses, white skirts and light blue bows, and the adult is wearing black jeans, a white shirt and a sky blue jacket.

Everyone freezes when they spot them, easily recognizing the new arrivals. ''C-coach?'' stutters Haru, coming out of his shock as he stares at his team. ''Guys?'' Shimizu gives him a tentative smile, the tension in the air almost visible.

Endou is the one to take control of the situation. ''Ishikawa-san,'' he says in a sharp voice. ''Why are you and your team here?''

Jirou breathes out slowly and answers Endou's stare with one of his own, completely serious. ''We are here to ask for help,'' he informs them in a steady voice, trying to keep a calm façade.

Whatever they expected, it wasn't this. ''W-what?'' the shock is easily noticeable in Endou's voice as he stares at Kanashimi's coach in disbelief.

The sky blue-haired man takes advantage of their moment of shock and pushes on. ''I want you to take care of my team,'' he tells them, sapphire eyes burning in determination. ''Help them. Keep them safe. In exchange…'' he breathes slowly, trying to calm his racing heart. ''I am turning myself in and I will tell you everything I know.''

The coaches and players gape at him, not having expected this in the slightest. Tenma and Haru look at each other with wide, stunned eyes before looking back at Kanashimi's coach.

The Kanashimi players are staring at him, shocked. He'd told them his plans in the bus, but they weren't sure before if he really meant it.

Kidou walks forward slowly, his eyes narrowed cautiously. ''Why should we believe you?'' his voice is filled with suspicion. ''Why are you suddenly doing this?''

Jirou allows his calm mask to slip slightly as he balls his fists. He bites his lip and looks down at the ground for a moment, but then forces himself to meet Kidou's distrusting eyes, carefully choosing his next words. ''This has gone on long enough,'' he announces. ''I know that I have done unforgivable things, and I am not searching for forgiveness either. But I know now that I was wrong in what I did. I know that if my brother is left to do what he likes, sooner or later this will end in disaster.'' His sapphire eyes dart around the gathered people. ''You have every right to despise me. But know that I never wanted it to get this far, and I am doing everything I can to correct the mistakes I made before.''

For a long while, nobody speaks. The only sound comes from the birds chirping and the slight breeze blowing over the field, as the coaches inspect each other, searching for any sign of a lie.

Eventually Endou breaks the silence. ''Very well,'' he speaks, surprising anyone. He holds up a hand to stop the protests from the teenagers, his eyes not leaving the blue-haired man. ''I'm not saying I trust you,'' he warns, ''but I'm willing to hear your story.''

Jirou nods gratefully. ''Thank you.''

Gouenji glances at his best friend standing next to him. ''Endou, are you sure about this?'' he asks lowly.

The dark-haired keeper smiles reassuringly at him. ''Yes.'' His voice is resolute and doesn't leave any room for argument. ''I say we continue this conversation in a more secluded space.''

Kanashimi's coach nods but doesn't move. ''What about them?'' he gestures to the Kanashimi players.

Kidou, Gouenji and Endou share a long look, before the genius playmaker eventually answers. ''They can stay here.'' Teikoku's commander then looks at the coaches of the other teams. ''If someone could keep an eye on them…''

Sakuma, Karibe, Afuro and Housuiin don't look very keen with the idea, but Fubuki nods. ''I'll stay,'' he offers, smiling at the grateful looks he receives. ''You can fill me in later.''

''Thank you,'' says Endou, letting his eyes return to the Kanashimi coach. ''Let's go.''

And with that all the coaches, with the exception of Fubuki, leave the field.

* * *

When the coaches reappear after their hour long meeting, the players of Kanashimi Jr. High have informed Raimon and a few selected individuals about what their coach told them on their way here.

The players fall silent at the appearance of the coaches. Jirou and Endou make their way to where Raimon and Kanashimi sitting together while Gouenji goes to inform Fubuki. Kidou orders everyone to go to their respective coaches, who will explain the situation to them.

Endou and Jirou sit down on the grass, the latter getting a few wary glances but no one who protests after hearing Kanashimi's story.

''You told them,'' says the blue-haired coach, looking at Shimizu. The boy nods, a bit uncomfortably, and the man smiles reassuringly. ''That's fine, they've got a right to know.''

A hesitant voice speaks up. ''Coach? What- what's going to happen now?'' asks Haru uncertainly.

Jirou looks at Endou, wondering if he's allowed to tell them. Raimon's coach grins at the players. ''Firstly, Kanashimi temporarily transfer to other schools for their safety, until Ishikawa's been dealt with,'' he tells them. ''Raimon and the other teams will continue to train, since we're not sure what Ishikawa's going to do now. Jirou here will work with us, where we can keep an eye on him, not to mention that his hacking skills will be very useful if we want to find proof about Ishikawa's crimes.'' He tugs on his headband, lost in thought. ''What happens after is not certain yet.''

The younger of the Ishikawa twins smiles tentatively at his team. Then his eyes fall on the two boys with multi-colored eyes, sitting next to each other. His smile shrinks slightly. ''Sakaki,'' he acknowledges the redhead. ''I am glad to see you're in good health.''

Haru nods hesitantly. Jirou's eyes fall on the brunet sitting next to him. ''Matsukaze,'' he says softly. ''It's nice to meet you, even though I wish the circumstances were better.''

Tenma shares a hesitant look with his redheaded friend. ''Hai,'' he says carefully, scooting a bit closer to Haru.

Jirou watches their interaction with a small smile. ''You two make good bond mates,'' he says absentmindedly, the gears in his head running as he goes through everything he knows about the experiment.

Two curious voices break him from his thoughts. ''Bond mates?'' Haru and Tenma share a surprised look when they talk at the exact same time, before laughing.

The coach's eyes light up in realization. ''Oh, I suppose you haven't heard that term before,'' he says, and the two boys shake their heads simultaneously. ''It's the term my brother and I have decided on for people with a link like yours,'' explains the man carefully. ''Bond mates, or bonded for short. People who can talk mentally, feel each other's emotions… but I suppose you'd know best of all what it means.'' He smiles weakly at them.

The two share a look. ''What… exactly can we do?'' asks Haru after a moment.

Jirou shakes his head. ''I don't know,'' he admits, ignoring the way everyone is watching him carefully. ''You have passed every expectation we had.''

Tenma hesitantly voices the question he and his bonded have been wondering about for the past few hours. ''When… when we touch, we can… see things,'' he says carefully. Jirou gestures for him to go on, curiosity shining in his sapphire eyes. ''The world becomes black, and everyone is like… like a light. A light in the shape of a human…''

Shuu, who was silent before, decides to give his input now. ''I thought they meant auras,'' he states calmly and the blue-haired coach frowns thoughtfully. ''Spiritual energy, if you will.''

Jirou's eyes widen in understanding. ''Double Keshin…'' he mutters. ''The only logical explanation… how incredible,'' he whispers, awed.

''Very incredible.''

Kanashimi's coach freezes at the voice that seems to come from everywhere. While the other people present look around in confusion, he pales and tries to calm his breathing. ''No way…'' he whispers, looking up sharply and searching for the source of the voice. ''K-Kazuo…''

Endou's head whips up at the soft whisper. ''What?''

The voice laughs coldly. ''How surprised I was when I noticed you were gone, dear brother,'' he mocks. Suddenly the scoreboard lights up, attracting all attention, and a man comes into view. He wears a light grey suit with a white dress shirt and a blue tie, sapphire eyes shining dangerously behind the glasses.

Shocked exclamations ring through the Paradise Stadium, but they are silenced when Kazuo speaks again, directing his words to his brother. ''You traitor,'' he hisses, eyes narrowing dangerously.

Jirou ignores his trembling hands and instead raises his chin in defiance. ''What do you want, Kazuo?''

The older smiles thinly. ''What happened to 'Nii-san'?'' he asks emotionlessly, yet the younger Ishikawa can basically hear the mocking tone.

The coach narrows his eyes. ''Cut the crap, Kazuo. What. Do. You. Want.''

Kazuo's smile grows, and everyone can see the insanity shining through it. ''You know what I want,'' he whispers crazily. ''Revenge on Raimon.''

''You won't win this, Ishikawa,'' states Gouenji, glaring at the screen.

Kanashimi's coach grins, his eyes wide and almost seeming to glow. ''Oh, you don't know that.'' His voice is laced with insanity. ''For I have already won, Gouenji Shuuya… there is only one thing left that I need, and then no one will be able to stop me.''

Before the people on the field can react, gas suddenly starts to fill the stadium, creeping over the field. At the sight of the white gas, Gouenji's eyes widen. ''Don't breathe it in!'' he warns, covering his mouth with his sleeve as the gas starts to rise.

Those who are lucky manage to cover their mouths, but the more unlucky ones are soon coughing and swaying. Kazuo's laughter can be heard as the first few people fall down, and Jirou glares at him, forcing himself to hold his breath.

But eventually he can't fight his body anymore and he gasps for air, breathing in the white gas. ''Damnit…'' he grits out as he sees Endou and Gouenji fall to the ground. His vision is filled with dark spots and he can feel himself swaying.

Then Kanashimi's coach can't fight it any longer, and he succumbs to the gas.

* * *

When Jirou awakens again, the first thing he sees is the orange sky. He blinks wearily, trying to fight off the fuzzy feeling in his mind. His eyes close tiredly.

A moment later they snap open when the memories return. He sits up, groaning at the pain in his head from his sudden movements, and scans his surroundings.

He's still in the Paradise Stadium, the passed out forms of the soccer players scattered over the field. On the other side of the field, he can see a few figures gathered together, but the light of the setting sun is casting them in shadows. Suddenly a voice breaks through the silence. ''Jirou, you awake?''

Jirou recognizes Endou's voice, coming from one of the figures. He stands up slowly and makes his way to the people who he can now identify as the other coaches. ''Somehow,'' he grumbles when he joins them. ''Am I the only one with a killer headache?''

The other adults grimace and it's all the answer he needs. ''What happened?'' asks Karibe, coach of Arakumo, as she runs a hand through her hair tiredly.

Kanashimi's coach scowls. ''My brother happened,'' he mutters.

''What do you think he's planning?'' asks Fubuki, frowning in concern.

Jirou sighs. ''No idea. I'm afraid he's been hiding things from me…'' he trails off, a feeling of dread in his stomach.

Silence settles between them, which is eventually broken by Sakuma. ''Let's wake the kids,'' he suggests, and the other coaches agree. Soon they are all waking their respective teams.

After calming them down, the coaches are discussing what happened, when they're disturbed by a shout. The nine adults look up in alarm at the one who shouted.

Taki Sousuke, the older of the Taki brothers from Kidokawa Seishuu, is frowning as he looks at his team, his younger brother fidgeting nervously next to him. The older forward seems displeased as he looks at the coaches. ''Kishibe's missing,'' he announces.

Afuro immediately frowns as he scans for the captain, easily noticing that he's nowhere to be found. Before he can say anything, however, one of Seidouzan's players speaks up as well. ''So is Kurosaki!''

Gouenji's eyes narrow, as another shout follows, this time coming from Genei Academy. ''And Mahoro!''

''Coach,'' says Mikado, Teikoku's captain, and Kidou frowns. ''Miyabino's missing as well.'' The commander looks at his team, immediately noticing the missing colors of the goalkeeper uniform.

More and more alarmed voices ring out, demanding to know where the missing players are. The coaches try to calm the teenagers down, but to no avail. Eventually, the only female coach has enough and clears her throat. ''Everyone shut up!''

Immediately everyone silences at her furious tone. The woman scans the group of students. ''Thank you. Now, calmly inform us of who else is missing,'' she orders.

Arakumo's keeper is the first to speak. ''Coach,'' he says softly, and the woman stiffens. ''Taiyou's gone.''

''So is Yukimura,'' says Shirosaki, Hakuren's keeper, looking at his coach. Fubuki pales drastically.

Shimizu makes his way through the crowd. ''Coach,'' he says, all eyes on him. ''Mizuno and Sakaki are gone as well.'' Jirou's eyes narrow in thought and concern.

Lastly, Endou looks at Raimon. ''What about you guys?'' he doesn't even need to ask, for he can already see that the figures clad in yellow are less than before.

Sangoku is the one who takes charge. ''Hikaru, Tsurugi, Kirino, Shindou and Tenma,'' he says grimly.

Teikoku's assistant-coach is the one to break the silence that has fallen. ''What do you think happened?'' asks Sakuma, looking at the other coaches.

Said adults share grim looks. ''Kazuo must've taken them,'' says Jirou, seeing how eyes of his fellow coaches fill with worry, even though some try to hide it. ''I don't know why, but…'' he trails off. ''There's no other explanation.''

Suddenly, a ringtone sounds over the silent field. Endou blinks in surprise but takes out his phone anyway, not even checking the caller idea. ''Hiroto?'' he asks. ''What's wrong?''

For a moment he's silent as the other speaks, but then his eyes widen in shock. He opens his mouth to reply, but it seems Hiroto isn't done yet because the dark-haired male closes his mouth. With every passing second, his frown deepens.

''Goddamnit,'' curses Endou passionately, shocking the listeners with his uncommon use of foul language. ''Do you have any idea what happened?''

It seems the answer is a bad one, because Raimon's coach frowns even deeper as he listens to Hiroto's news. After a while, he sighs. ''…okay, thanks,'' he mutters. ''Bye, Hiroto. Let me know the second you find something, okay?''

He puts his phone in his pocket and then looks at the other adults, Jirou specifically. ''There's been a fire in Kanashimi Jr. High.''

Shocked gasps ring out through the stadium, and Jirou gapes at him. ''A-are you serious?'' he whispers and Endou nods. The blue-haired man forces himself to calm down. ''I… see,'' he says finally.

Raimon's coach takes this as his cue to continue. ''Authorities aren't sure what happened. It seems there has been an explosion that started the fire,'' he informs them. ''They suspect it was a gas leak.''

Jirou immediately shakes his head. ''Whatever it was, it wasn't an accident,'' he states with complete surety. ''I know my brother.'' He breathes in slowly in hopes to calm himself.

''Why do you think he did something like this?'' asks Kidou sharply.

The blue-haired man grits his teeth. ''I don't know,'' he admits. ''But what I do know, is that he's long gone… and so are the missing players.''

* * *

Tenma yelps as he's harshly thrown onto the cold, metal floor. Moments later the blindfold that covered his eyes disappears, and he takes in his surroundings.

The brunet is sitting in a room made of dark, blueish metal. On one side of the room is a control panel that stretches from one wall to the other, glass separating the 'control room' from the room he's sitting in. A door on the left side, made of glass as well, is the only way to get from one 'room' to the other.

The walls of the 'room' he's in look strange. At eye height, there is a line of circles with a diameter of about two feet, the perimeters about two inches thick. Another circle, this one a lot bigger than those on the walls, is on the ground. The perimeter about a feet thick and the edges of the circle almost touch the walls. A similar circle is on the ceiling.

Tenma's not the only one sitting in the strange room. He's about to open his mouth to ask what happened, when a voice interrupts him.

''How nice to finally see you all.'' The brunet looks up, his eyes widening at the sight of a sky blue-haired man with a friendly smile on his face that doesn't reach his eyes.

''What do you want with us?'' asks Miyabino the moment he catches sight of Kanashimi's director.

Kazuo's smile suddenly doesn't seem so friendly anymore and Tenma shivers at the cold and disturbing aura he emits. He scoots over to his teammates quickly, comforted by their presence. Shindou shoots him a reassuring smile for a short moment but then directs his glare at the man again.

''Where are we?'' demands Mizuno, the usually calm defender glaring fiercely at the director.

Said director simply grins. ''Somewhere no one will think to look for you,'' he tells them.

The teenagers share alarmed looks. ''Why did you take us?'' asks Kurosaki, trying not to anger the man who literally holds all power over them at the moment.

Kazuo's smirk shrinks to a pleasant smile, his eyes seeming to glow in the bad illuminated room. ''You are going to help me,'' he tells them.

''With what?'' asks Yukimura, shrinking back a bit when those sapphire eyes fall on him. He might like the cold, but this is a whole different kind of ice.

There is no smile detectable in his voice or on his face when the man answers. ''You are going to help me with destroying your friends,'' he says simply.

''What?!'' hisses Tsurugi.

He's not the only one who reacts to that statement. ''No way!'' exclaims Kishibe.

''In your dreams!'' agrees Mahoro angrily.

Tenma is silent but shares a worried look with his bond mate. _'I don't like where this is going.'_

'' _Agreed.''_

Kirino's voice breaks through their mental dialogue. ''Do you really think we'll help you?'' asks the pink-haired defender, blue eyes narrowed in barely concealed anger even though his face and voice are calm.

''Oh, but you won't have a choice,'' says Kazuo smoothly. ''Let's say I've got my own way of… _persuasion.''_

Hikaru bravely speaks up. ''W-we won't help you!''

Taiyou nods. ''He's right. You're crazy to think that we'd betray our friends so easily,'' he tells the man. Kazuo's eyes narrow and Arakumo's captain shrinks back slightly, his breath catching in his throat at the bloodlust he emits.

Then he grins. ''We'll see about that,'' he says, turning towards the large control panel. He types something and then hits a large button, smirking at the teenagers as the perimeters of the circles on the wall, the floor and the ceiling start to glow with a cold, greenish blue light, sparks crackling around it.

Before anyone can react with more than a shocked gasp, the intense electricity erupts through the room, hitting everything in its path. Electricity flashes through the bodies of the soccer players.

Kazuo watches apathetically as they writhe in pain, not reacting when their agonized screams reach his ears. After what feels like an eternity to the teenagers, the agony disappears along with the electricity, leaving them collapsed on the ground, gasping in pain from the torment they just went through.

The man simply watches, not reacting in the slightest at their pain. Instead he looks towards one of the holograms floating above the control panel, smiling slightly. ''It's working,'' he whispers to himself, his eyes returning to the fallen forms of the soccer players, their only movements coming from their gasping breaths.

 _Project_ _ **Repressing**_ _completed: 100%  
Ready to be executed._

 _Progress of_ _ **Repressing:**_ _2%_

Without any sympathy, Kazuo pushes the button again and the electricity crackles through the room again, followed by the agonized screams. The electricity dies down again and the teenagers twitch slightly from the electricity still racing through their bodies. Kazuo takes one look at the hologram and punches the button again without any sign og hesitation.

 _Progress of_ _ **Repressing:**_ _4%_

He smirks as the screams fill his ears again, watching as the number on the screen climbs.

 _Progress of_ _ **Repressing:**_ _6%_

He pushes the button again.

More screams follow.

.

.

.

* * *

 **The End.**

* * *

 **After thirteen months and seven days, it's finally,** _ **finally**_ **finished. I… honestly didn't think it'd end like this. This has been as much as a surprise to me as it has been to you.**

 **Thank you guys so much for the continued support. Your reactions made me laugh, cry and smile even when I had a bad day. I count myself very lucky with amazing readers like you. Again, thank you so much.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this fanfiction. I know I'm still inexperienced, but I did my best and I really hope you guys liked reading this.**

 **On another note…**

…the sequel. Look, I've been thinking, I know what _I_ want for the sequel, but I'd like to know what you expect as well. What is a sequel if the readers think it's a disappointment in comparison to the original? So, that's why I'm asking you guys:

What are expecting for the sequel? Is there something you really want to happen? What do you think is a good idea? What did you like about Stand and what would you like to read about in the sequel?

All ideas are welcome. It can be completely crazy, I'm fine with everything – heck, I'm writing a story where Raimon's trapped in a death game for heaven's sake! You guys probably can't surprise me anymore :)

 **.**

 **And now, for the final part of this Author's Note… everyone has been asking me about the sequel. I've been thinking about it for months, I've done research on how to write an open ending and on how to write a sequel. I can only hope I manage to pull it off, but first…**

 **The name.**

 **Everyone's been asking me about the name, ever since I announced the sequel.**

 **So, the sequel of Stand will be named…**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 _ **Still.**_

 **.**

 **For the last time… Bye bye~!**

 **\- Yara Meijer**


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